


The Dark Disciple's Partner

by Ryojin



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Dark Disciple - Christie Golden, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Betrayal, F/F, F/M, Romance, Training
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-01-02 17:28:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 61,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21165410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryojin/pseuds/Ryojin
Summary: An AU of the book The Dark Disciple where Asajj Ventress has gained a bounty hunting partner.An AU where Ahsoka Tano decides to try to make up her debt to Ventress for trying to help during her trial and makes a decision that could change the entirety of the Clone Wars.





	1. Unexpected Complication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story has already been posted on Fanfiction and I am just moving it over here as well. I personally love Ahsoka and Asajj and they are two of my favorite Star Wars characters and I found them to be two sides of the same coin and hoped there would be more interaction between the two of them in the show. This is just a take on what I believe is a possibility of what could have happened had the two stuck together.

The Dark Disciple's partner  
On Coruscant the Jedi Council meet to plan a decisive strike against the Separatists.  
"This is what needs to be done. We are Jedi and we are supposed to bring balance to the force, but Count Dooku is the obstacle." Said Master Windu.

This discussion came to flourish after the most recent of Dooku's atrocities during the war. The Jedi Council has decided to send someone to assassinate the leader of the Separatists to try to bring a quicker end to the war.

"Master Windu is right. We need to consider ideas we have not before." Anakin suggested.

Obi-wan bristled at his padawan's horrifying input "We are Jedi, we are not going to sit here and plan an assassination. This is the kind of thing that will lead to the dark side."

"Master, we need to do something. This is just the most recent atrocity Dooku has committed." The chosen one fired back.  
Everyone sitting took on a grave but resigned look to what they were about to agree to. They all look to their grand master for the final say. "A crime to extinguish a life, it is. But growing, the darkness is with each attack Dooku commits." Yoda decides with a heavy heart and looking a hundred years older if that is even possible.

"Who do we ask to go on this endeavor?" Master Ti asks.

"I think I know who we need for the job." Master Kenobi offers.

Quinlan Vos sat outside the Council room with his longtime friend Obi-Wan Kenobi. Trying to process what he had just been told. The council wants him to team up with a Sith assassin to kill Count Dooku. "Is this what the council has become? Generals? Spys? Assassins?"

His friend look even more tired and broken down than he had seen since Tano left a year ago. "The horrors that have occurred and the way this war is going… The Jedi are meant to restore balance to the galaxy….. I don't agree with it but the truth is the Jedi council of old did many things far worse than this to combat Sith enemies. I just hope we don't have to reach a time like that."

"Well, no use sitting around here and lazing around. Let's get this done as quickly as we can. Do you know where I can find Ventress? That would be helpful."  
Kenobi shakes his head. "She travels too often working as bounty hunter I hear we haven't had a definitive sighting since the temple bombing incident." Reminding him of the lost padawan.

"Then I have some bounty hunter bars to visit it seems." Vos says standing up to complete what will be his most difficult mission ever.

"You might try flirting. She always enjoyed the banter when we fought." Kenobi through in.

"You flirted with a Sith while fighting in the middle of a war?" Vos was stunned at his straight-laced friend.

"Banter. It makes it interesting." Kenobi insists not making eye contact. Vos walks away mumbling about reckless idiots.

\---

After finding the right bar and coming across some Boba Fett and his crew he was able to get information on Ventress. She was going after a mark on the planet of Pantora. He was about to leave when he got a piece of information that he was not expecting. Fett spoke up as he was leaving the bar. "Just a warning but there is a rumor that Ventress got a new partner a while ago and that she is just as good with a blade. I haven't had the pleasure yet but if there are two of those crazy bitches out there I would stay away."

Quinlan had a lot to think about when it came to his mark. From his conversation with Kenobi before going to Pantora he seemed equally confused by her working with another for a long period of time. Ventress was not known for playing well with others and had severe trust issues. After Dooku and the nightsisters she saw everyone else as disposable and had no attachments as to not get hurt again it seemed.

It would make this mission either harder or easier and Vos was all for the latter. Having another, who was probably a former Sith that Ventress knew if word about the skill with a blade is true, to go up against Dooku would be extremely helpful. On the other hand having an unknown on such a delicate mission could blow his cover and make getting their trust that much harder, especially since the plan was for him to get her to trust him while working together. But, there was nothing Vos could do about it now without any more information. So that was why he was already on his way to Pantora to find this pair.

On Pantora, Ventress was looking through the crowd of people. Pantora was a nightmare for bounty hunters. Too many trees and the colors to pick out her target. Her hair had grown out and was a sandy blonde. She wasn't quite used to it yet and was something new she was trying out and her partner said it suited her. That was another new thing that took some getting used to, her partner. An equal she trusted, well that she trusts now. It didn't start off that way. But right now she was annoyed. Here she was looking at a park full of people where she got a tip her target was and her partner was off with a friend she knows from here. Nope not jealous at all.

She spotted a small family spending time together in the park. It caught her eye and almost a sense of longing and pain for the family she had. They were all dead or had betrayed her. Her sisters were all dead because of Dooku. All she has left is her. Its Ironic how she is the only one left that would stand by her side.  
She spotted the target. He was feeding some rodents in the park. When she approached slowly he saw her and took off. She chased him through the streets getting close to her target when another tackles him. "Who are you?!" she exclaimed. The roguish looking man looked up at her while he was pinning her target.

"Relax I got this." He smiled and that loss of concentration caused the target to flip him and run from the distracted bounty hunters.

She took off after the mark ignoring the bounty hunter, who was close on her heels. "Do you normally steal other people's bounties?"

"Bounties are fair game. I am just here getting my paycheck." The man states smiling at her. Something like that may have worked before. Before her.

"It is courtesy when one bounty hunter has put claim to back off. It seems you are one without common courtesy." She rudely fires back at the new guy shooting down any attempt at flirting with her.

They chased him across the rooftops and when he jumped off and grabbed onto a sign Ventress went to tackle him. The target fell onto a moving speeder and when he regained his composure gave the two bounty hunters a one fingered salute as he disappeared on the speeder.

She tried to chase after him, but the target was gone. She whirled around on the man who had ruined it all. "What the hell do you think you were doing!? Are you new? Because you are certainly acting like an idiot that doesn't know what he is doing." They heard a loud crash a few streets away but ignored it while they continued arguing. "You cost me my paycheck!"

"Calm down sweetheart. I'll make it up to you. How about we partner up and we can split the money. It will make the jobs easier. The names Tal." He holds out his hand and gives her the same roguish grin that may have worked on her if she didn't already have her.

"I have a partner, I don't need your help."

Right as Vos was about to make a comment about not seeing a partner the sound of a lightsaber being ignited and felt heat near his neck. He looked down slowly and saw a blade there but not just any blade, it was pure white, a color he had never seen on a lightsaber before. He followed it up to its owner and his mouth dropped open upon seeing who it was.

"Now Vos, could you stop lying and tell us what the Jedi council really wants? And for force sake stop flirting with my girlfriend." She said as innocently as she could.

In front of him was a very recognizable Togruta. With one hand on the blade the other dragging the target he had been chasing and standing next to Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantora, was former padawan Ahsoka Tano.


	2. Getting Ready

Dark Disciple's Partner  
After being escorted to the senator's building since he had gone to Pantora without notifying the senator, which is against regulations, Vos had asked for a private room to call the council to ask what to do next. This was new territory, he never had a mission go this wrong from the very beginning. He had refused to answer any questions from the former Jedi due to the sensitive nature of the mission that had started off rough already. Even more nerve racking was notifying the council of a former Jedi that not only was associating with a Sith but also in a relationship. That was awkward on a few levels after he had spent that time trying to banter (not flirt like Tano insisted) with the Sith, which is Obi-Wan's fault as that was his advice in the first place. No he was not ready for this.  
He arrived at a secure conference room and pulled out his comm. He was in the council room as a hologram and surrounded by surprised members.

"Master Vos, I understand you are good at infiltration, but we had assumed it would take longer for you to get Ventress to trust you. We did say not to contact us until then did we not?" The stern master Mundi stated while the rest took in Vos waiting for him to reply. He seemed nervous.

"That is the problem, my cover was blown due to the unforeseen complication that I had spoken to Kenobi about earlier." All attention turned to Kenobi. He had not mentioned anything before in hopes it wouldn't be a problem.

Kenobi turned to the rest of the councilors to explain "Before he left, Master Vos discovered rumors that Ventress was working with a partner who is as skilled as Ventress in the art of a lightsaber. We had some reservations about this information but had hoped that the extra skilled person could aide in the mission to make it easier."

"Know you, this partner does?" It was a question from the grand master while also a statement directed back at Vos who was looking deeply uncomfortable at having to relay this information.

"Yes, I had encountered Ventress on Pantora while she was going after a new bounty and tried to get a rapport going between us. I had not seen a partner at the time and she seemed to be going after the target alone. The only thing my attempts accomplished was manage to annoy her and she rebuffed me at every turn." There was a short mumbling suspiciously coming from the direction of Obi-Wan that sounded like he was saying something along the lines of not being the only one. "When we lost the target we got in an argument and that was when her partner suddenly showed up with a lightsaber at my throat. But not just any lightsaber it was white."

That had everyone sitting up. Nobody had even heard of someone with that color of a saber. No one except for a certain grand master "Heard of a saber like that, I have. Balance and peace, it means. Neutral, the wielder must be." Taking in the information the council got quiet. Including the chosen one who always heard whispers of how he was supposed to bring balance to the force.

"Please continue with your report Master Vos." Calmly stated Windu. He was intrigued as well by someone else wielding a unique blade.

"Ah… yes. Following the blade I looked to its wielder to find the woman dragging the target we lost as well as the senator of Pantora." He still seemed a little hesitant to give away the woman's identity although after his gaze flickered to Anakin and Obi-Wan the older and wiser of the two caught the glance and was able to connect the dots as he knew of the senator being close with only one lightsaber wielder.

"Force…. It can't be." All attention turned to him including his old padawan who was still confused.

It was Master Vos who answered. "Yes it is Obi-Wan. She held a lightsaber to my throat and asked me, by name, what the council wanted and…." he paused not wanting to give the awkward information.

Anakin was getting impatient with this discussion. "Who asked you what?!"

Vos turned to the impatient Jedi. A glint in his eye showing some mischief "Ahsoka Tano asked me if I would stop flirting with her girlfriend." He said as dryly as possible. No one in the room said a word and it was almost comical how far out all their eyes bulged at the admission.

"I did not see that coming." Came from Master Windu. A soft chuckle could be heard and everyone looked to Master Plo Koon.

"She always did the unexpected." He said rather simply through his mask.

Of course her former master could not keep as calm. "Unexpected?! She is off doing who knows what with a Sith! We need to stop this now!" Getting out of his seat to rush out the door. He never stopped being frustrated at what the council had done to his padawan.

"Wait Anakin. We need to talk about what to do regarding the mission first." Ordered his master. Grumbling the youngest in the room returned to his seat.

While the council was discussing what to do with the new information, in another room down the hall was one bounty hunter trying to calm down another. "What are they doing here!? Did they know I was here with you? Are they going to try to get rid of me now they know I am with you?" Ventress calmly sat on a couch watching her partner pace back and forth across the room in the middle of a mild freak out. It was understandable considering the Togruta had a bit of resentment and mistrust for the order still and this was the first time they had come across a Jedi since. She had been able to think it over a lot over the last year to try to come to terms with it, but being faced with it so suddenly could shake the younger girl.

She grabbed Ahsoka's hand as she walked by again and dragged her onto the couch. Ahsoka crumpled up into her side while she stroke the former Jedi's lekku. This usually had a calming effect on her. As her breathing leveled out Ventress tried to answer her concerns. "We just have to wait and see what it is they want. Vos, as you called him, seemed extremely surprised to see you so they had no idea you were here. As for the Jedi coming after you to get rid of you, that would never happen. The Jedi don't send out assassination missions." Scoffing at the idea. "Don't worry about it. Your friend will make sure we are protected."

"We have been over this before Saj. Riyo is an old friend who wanted to catch up and isn't exactly comfortable around former Sith. Just because she wanted to see me alone didn't mean she wanted to see me alone." She replies smiling at Ventress's awkwardness. She was still a little uncomfortable with….. well feelings.

"I told you not to call me that." She grumbled in response.

Ahsoka hopped up and laughed at the pouting former Sith. It had been an interesting year since she left the order and the only reason she is here and in one piece is because of the woman in front of her who admittedly has also tried to kill her several times, although that was before they started working together.  
There was a knock at the door and Ahsoka went to answer it while Ventress got her lightsaber ready. She may be in friendly territory but it is always better to be prepared. When Ahsoka opened the door it was Quinlan Vos with one of the Pantoran guards who was escorting him due to his unannounced presence on Pantora. He had his lightsaber with him now. 

"Hello Miss Tano, would it be alright if I came in?" He seemed entirely out of place and uncomfortable at the moment. Though that was understandable considering the possibly sticky situation the Jedi were in plus from the few stories about the man she heard from Master Kenobi, Vos was not exactly a manners type of person.

"Of course….. but no flirting." She said half-jokingly. They entered the room and she took her spot next to Ventress again which made the pale woman a bit uncomfortable. Flirting and banter is one thing but the whole touchy feely thing in front of others was still new for her.

"So what is it the Jedi want of us? Now that your deception was caught I assume that things have changed." Asajj started the discussion. Ahsoka usually let her do the discussion part of their work as Ahsoka always had been more of a follow orders type person. But she listened intently here as this had to do with the Jedi. Still a sore subject and not entirely something she felt comfortable with which is why she was being a bit more affectionate than usual with Saj.

Vos still not use to feeling this uncomfortable especially with the two ladies. "While I am not at liberty to say exactly what is going on.." Insert Ventress scoff. "Two Jedi are coming to Pantora to try and smooth things over with the senator over sneaking in. They will explain the situation thoroughly as representatives with the council."

Ahsoka was the next one to speak up "Do I even need to ask which two are coming here. I doubt Anakin would allow anyone else come here." She was unsure how she should feel about that. Part of her wants her former master to be proud of her and she felt that if he saw her now, who she was with he would be anything but proud. The other part of her, the independent part that has been growing rapidly isn't sure that it should matter. She was happy with where she was now and what she was truly afraid of was that he would make her feel ashamed of that. Not that it seems glamorous but at least it's what she chose.

"Of course it will be Skywalker and Kenobi." He looked uncomfortable "Is that a problem for you? Do you have anywhere you need to be? It will take them a few hours to get here."

She looked to her right to her partner. She knew there wasn't another job or contract lined up but she wanted to be sure that Saj was alright with staying to hear the Jedi out. Saj gave her a nod.

"We will wait. I hope you understand if we ask to wait alone." He nodded and seemed to relax in relief to be done with this disaster of a mission. He got up and left the room leaving the two of them by themselves. Ahsoka let out a breath and sagged on the couch. She laid her head on Saj's lap and looked up at her. 

"What do you think? You've been unusually quiet on the situation considering you are still technically a criminal to the republic and you are going to be meeting with 3 Jedi Masters on a Republic allied planet."

"The Senator is your friend we will be fine and you still have a lot to learn about deal making young one." This made Ahsoka crack a smile and chuckle. "The Jedi came here looking for us or more specifically me. They want me to help them with a job since he tried to get me to be his partner so he needs my abilities. They will then try to use you to try to convince me to help you and the Jedi are specifically using Jedi you are close to so they can convince you instead of one you barely know. This way, whatever they need done that they don't want connected to them will have twice the muscle to do it. Whatever this is, they don't want a Jedi to do it but need someone as good as one and since they came to me… It most likely has to do with Dooku." Saj finally reaching the end of her train of thought and looked directly into her eyes. "Don't worry about me Soka. Whatever it is they need me so they won't do anything." She smiled gently down to the Togruta in her lap, a smile she would only show her.

Ahsoka smiled right back. "That is a good logical argument, but logical arguments get thrown out the window when it comes to Anakin. He will be all over protective brother on me probably and try to kill you anyway or….. he will try to get me to come back." She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Do you?"

"Do I what?" Ahsoka was confused at her partner's question.

"Want to go back to the order. Your master never betrayed and looked out for you and will welcome you back. You could have a home that doesn't involve shady bars and crappy hotels."

Ahsoka couldn't help but smile at her words. Not because she wanted any of that but because she could feel and understand the emotions behind what Saj was thinking.

"I won't go back Saj. I'm not like the others, I won't leave you." She gave her partner a comforting embrace to assuage some of her insecurities. Ventress may be a badass former Sith bounty hunter, but she still had fears and worries and Ahsoka liked that she could bring out some of these emotions in her.  
Asajj got up off the couch suddenly and grabbed her cloak. "Let's get going to the hanger than to meet the parents." And she walked out of the room her usual bantering self. All trace of the faces she would only show Ahsoka were gone. Only the grim determination to keep what was now hers.

\---

On a star-ship headed towards Pantora someone was getting lectured. Since this trip involved Jedi and a senator on Pantora it was decided Jedi and a senator should be sent there to help clear things up and this lead to the situation of Padme trying to tell Anakin how to act which tends to be quite a futile thing. "This is a diplomatic mission so we don't need you trying to kill someone!"

"But it's Ventress! She is probably using Ahsoka in some crazy plan or exploiting her for money. Maybe she is even trying to turn her to the dark side and against the Jedi because of what happened to her!" Anakin had not stopped worrying about his former padawan since she left and now knowing who she had been with had made it many times worse. Obi-Wan being the smart one had avoided the conversation by choosing to fly the ship to Pantora.

"Ani she is a big girl. She is 18 years old and can make her own decisions. I am just as surprised as you that she ended up being a bounty hunter but she is no longer your responsibility. If you show up there angry rather than being happy to see her she will pull away and stay away forever." That finally got him to stop pacing. He didn't want to lose Ahsoka forever. He always hoped that she would just travel a little then return to him but her having a life and if it is true she is with Ventress that would get in the way of her returning.

"Ahhh!" he stormed off. Tired of the same argument going on for another hour.

Padme knew he would not calm down or relax until he saw her again. Sometimes she was jealous of the small Togruta. A woman that could affect her Ani like this and got to spend all her time with him. But she had grown to like the girl too and hoped she wasn't in over her head like Ani had thought.

During this Obi-Wan may have been hiding from Anakin's tantrum but he was also thinking over the mission he was specifically given. To say he was uncomfortable would be an understatement.

Flashback  
The hologram of Vos had disappeared and Anakin shot out of his chair to pack for his trip to Pantora and left the room. "Obi-Wan we need to discuss Miss Tano." Master Windu halted his own retreat. 

Obi-Wan was perplexed by his statement but waited for him to continue. "Miss Tano is a perfect candidate for Ventress to use. She could have spent the last year teaching her in the ways of the dark side and stoking the fires of revenge." Obi-Wan was getting a very uncomfortable feeling in his stomach from the direction of this conversation. "We are not going to go through all of this work and planning on this mission to get rid of the Sith threat to allow two others to take his place. Anakin will not be up to it but you will need to be the calm one and talk to Vos. If she is a threat you will need to take care of both of them." 

Obi-Wan looked for help amongst the other masters but found nothing but sympathetic and resigned eyes. Master Plo Koon looked a little angry but said nothing. He directed his gaze back to Master Windu. "I will follow my own judgement and if she is a threat to the council I will take appropriate action." With that he got up and left. 

Down the hall from the council room he was met by Master Plo Koon. "Master Kenobi I do not agree with their assessment. Please help little Ahsoka if she needs it….. even if she needs help to stay safe from us. We committed a great injustice against her. Let's not make it worse." He walked away more defeated than Kenobi had ever seen him. 

Flashback end 

Obi-Wan hoped that it would not come to that. He hoped that this mission would be uneventful and peace would be found. But considering the people involved and the danger the mission will pose that was unlikely. He set down the star-ship in the hanger prepared for their visit with a sense of doom. He knew that everything would be different the next time he returned to the temple.


	3. Long Awaited Meeting

Dark Disciple's Partner

Ahsoka was sitting at the hanger watching the approaching ship with a small amount of trepidation. It brought her back to the last time she had seen her old master when she left the order and when she saw Ventress.

One Year Ago

She was lost. She knew she had to leave the order, but she had no idea where to go or what to do and wandering around Coruscant wasn't really helping her yet it seemed to be the only thing that she could do. Ahsoka couldn't understand who she was anymore. Her entire life was the Jedi Order. She was found as a child and brought there, trained there, had friends there, did missions there, yet none of that shows who she was.

It was quite the revelation to realize that she didn't have a personal story. A way to describe her life that wasn't exactly like a thousand other Jedi. Who was Ahsoka Tano without them? While she spent hours wandering around trying to solve this question was when she finally bumped into someone.

"Sorry I wasn't looking where I was going." She said absent mindedly before turning to the person who she bumped into.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is. Just a little girl who can't keep her promises." Ventress stood glaring at the Togruta. Ahsoka was quite surprised by her appearance interrupting her inner turmoil.

"Ventress! I meant to but then I couldn't. I just had to leave. I couldn't stay there anymore with people who could pretend to care and then toss me aside. It just didn't feel like home." Ahsoka's shoulders were slumping down while she looked away. Out of all the people she is explaining her existential crisis to it happens to be a former enemy.

"I know the Jedi don't care about each other, but what I care about is the loss of my light-saber's!" She was quite pissed about that and since they had been used as evidence in a case and she was a wanted criminal on Coruscant there was no way she was getting those back. She needed to make a living and her main weapons were gone.

Ahsoka of course couldn't take the insult to the Jedi though. "Of course the Jedi care about each other!" she yelled back.

Ventress just chuckled at her. "You left and you still can't see what the Jedi really are can you?"

"What do you mean what they are? They wish to help bring peace to the galaxy!" She replied hotly. Ventress just laughed at that idea.

"You are joking right? Jedi are there to lead armies and to help conquer planets for the Republic so the Republic can rule the Galaxy. I am not saying the Separatists are any better than them but they are the same thing and you are too naïve to see it. The Jedi are blind and have disconnected themselves from the world they only see that if the Republic wins the war there will be peace. They don't look at the atrocities they are helping commit." She savored the shocked look on the small Togruta on front of her. The girl was so surprised she didn't even say anything. Ventress took this as an opportunity to continue. "Look at it this way. How many over your so called peace keeping missions involved helping pirates, working for the Hutts, or other large scale criminals? They ignore the real people that need saving out there. The Jedi are so focused on the forest that they forget to help the animals the live in it."

This rant by Ventress was not helping her inner turmoil about her recent decisions. In fact it was only making it worse as this reminded her about Barriss and what she had said the Jedi had become. Was she wrong? Of course she was wrong to bomb the temple but was she wrong about the Jedi? Was Ventress wrong? She had worked with pirates in the past for the Republic. She had even rescued Jaaba the Hutt's son while he was running his criminal enterprise. What was the point of protecting and helping the galaxy when they are helping protect the criminals as well?

She sank to the ground with her whole world tossed on its side. What kind of world was she living in where it seemed like Ventress and Barriss are right and the Jedi are wrong?

Ventress saw the girl sink to the ground with her world collapsing. She felt a twinge of guilt. She wanted to get back at the girl she had helped and didn't get anything in return. She should have just turned the girl in and got the money. She would have her light-sabers still then. But then she would have probably been executed. She knew why she didn't turn her in. Ahsoka reminded her a little of how she was before Dooku got to her. Before the pain and vengeance took over and there was only sadness and confusion.

Ventress sat down on the floor of the alley next to her. "Just because you are no longer a Jedi doesn't mean you can't do anything." She paused for a moment. Was she really going to tell her this story? She had never told anyone else this story. "I was a slave when I was little. He was a kind master though and ended up being killed by raiders. That was when I was saved by a Jedi Knight named Ky Narec. He sensed that I was strong with the force and took me as an apprentice."

"You were a Jedi?" To say Ahsoka was shocked by this revelation would be an understatement which made it more comical to Ventress.

"Yes of course I was. Most Sith were Jedi at one point or another." She paused to let that sink in. "We spent several years helping the people of the planet until he died. The other Jedi didn't come to help but he did what he believed was right. He didn't need the order to do that. They probably didn't blink an eye at his disappearance they just let him go."

Ahsoka remembered her mission on Genosis and what happened after that. Anakin went on a rant about how Master Luminara, one of the most respected Jedi in the order, barely reacted to her padawan being buried. She was trying to use it as a lesson to Anakin in letting go of attachments. Were the Jedi so blind they only care about the balance in the force that they can't care about individual lives?

Ventress suddenly stood up. She knew she should stay away from Ahsoka. This girl was lost and reminded her too much of herself. Too many times she had been burned by getting close to people, by trusting them. But looking at the broken girl she knew she had to stop her from making the same mistakes. She held out her hand. "Let's go." Ahsoka looked confused, well even more confused.

"What do you mean?"

"You are going to be coming with me because you owe me. I helped you and lost my light-sabers in the process so you are going to come with me and help me until I get a new light-saber. Now get your ass off the ground so we can go make some money. Partner."

Present time.

It felt like ages ago, but it had only been a year since her life had changed. Now some may say that going from a padawan with the opportunity of being a Jedi Knight to being a bounty hunter was a bit of a down grade. To Ahsoka this was not the case. She was happy where she was and she wouldn't let the past catching up to her ruin that. She grabbed Saj's hand after her trip down memory lane and watched her old master's ship land in the hanger preparing herself for the lecture she would get.

\---

Anakin was anxious. The ship had landed and they were disembarking. He walked into the hanger and saw Ahsoka. It was the first time since she had left the temple and it was good to see her again. What was not so good was that her hand seemed to be attached to Ventress. Obi-Wan, Padme, and Anakin walked toward the duo who were joined by Senator Chuchi and Master Vos.

"Snips its good to see you again." He gave her a warm smile before sending a glare to her side. "Ventress."

"Skywalker." Ventress replied back, keeping her face neutral.

"Skyguy." Ahsoka smiled a little.

The tense silence was broken by the native senator. "Shall we go to the conference room? I believe this conversation will be a sensitive one that should not have anybody listening in." With that the group of 7 walked to the palace in silence before finding a room with a rectangular table that they took their seats at. On one side had Senator Chuchi sitting in the middle with Ahsoka on her left and Ventress on her right. Opposite of Ahsoka was Anakin who was next to his wife. On her other side was Obi-Wan. Vos was sitting on the end letting everyone else deal with this mess.

"How about you begin with why the council has sent a Jedi to my planet without any warning or notification. Part of the agreement that I signed with the  
Republic states that I am notified of any Republic activity on Pantora." She gave the people on the other side as stern of a glare the kindly Senator could give while the other two kept their faces like stone as they both had a sneaking suspicion of what was coming.

It was Padme who answered first though. "I apologize for such an action but the truth is I am unaware of the reason as well. It seems that this mission that was sent out was purely a Jedi mission."

"The Jedi are acting without approval of the Republic? That is surprising." The sarcastic comment came from Ahsoka. She still remembered the original conversation with Saj. The Jedi had become loyal warriors of the Republic so the fact they are acting outside of them is surprising. So she mocked them a little for it. It seemed she had picked up a few of Ventress's habits.

Startled looks from the other side of the table were sent to the wayward Jedi. Especially her former master. It was Obi-Wan who was the first to speak was. "The council decided this purely on a Jedi matter and did not see it as needing the Republic to know about it. As this was a secret mission we did not inform them. We did not mean to disregard any treaties but as it was a secret undercover mission we did not inform you and I am sorry. That said the mission has more to do with Ventress than your planet and it just so happened to be the planet she was on. We did not mean any harm by it."

"Thank you for your consideration. As the treaty I signed stated that the Republic could not operate on Pantora without my knowledge and this did not occur I will allow this indiscretion. Though I would like knowledge of this nature as well. I believe I will leave you to your business while I catch up with my friend Padme." The Naboo senator smiled and rose from her seat with the Pantoran Senator. She left the room before shooting a glare at Anakin that pretty much told him to behave.

When they left the room the silence was oppressive between the 5 force wielders.

"Well, let's keep this professional. What is the reason for the Jedi council to track me down and try to befriend me? Obviously you don't want me dead. So what is it you want?" She put on her business face which isn't that dissimilar to her 'I'm going to kill you face.'  
Obi-Wan spoke up "After how long the war has been going and deaths associated with it, the council wants to get rid of Dooku." The silence was even thicker than earlier before a quick laugh from the Togruta.

"Saj, I thought you said the Jedi don't do assassinations." From the quirk of her lips Ahsoka could tell she remembered their earlier conversation. The others were surprised by her reaction as they remember the younger and childish Ahsoka from a year ago and the one sitting in front of them. Anakin though was more worried about the pet name and the closeness between the two across from him.

"Normally they don't but it seems that they are finally realizing they can't win a war with half measures. Imagine if they Jedi did kill their enemies. How many times have you had almost every single one of the Separatist leaders in custody?" Anakin who had already known this just sat there and grinded his teeth at the woman who had stolen his padawan.

Obi-Wan, ever the diplomat tried to bring the discussion back to the mission and away from the philosophical "Never the less, we wished for Vos to team up with you and eventually for the two of you to go after Dooku. Between the skill of the two of you and your personal knowledge of Dooku we hoped that the war could come to an end without him."

Ahsoka, knowing where the conversation was going and knew eventually what would happen had to interject. "If the Jedi want Dooku gone then they are going to pay for this mission correct? Also we are going to have to talk about bonuses as well." Everyone turned to her with surprised faces. Everyone except Ventress who looked at her with a soft, proud smile.

Ventress knew she was getting lost in the idea of killing Dooku. She had wanted to for so long and tired several times. Now he had killed her sisters and she would have Ahsoka and help from the Jedi order. The fact that this dream was within reach was going to her head. She was glad that Ahsoka knew enough to keep a level head during this even with the emotions that must be at war within herself.

Anakin who was appalled by this behavior had to say something. "What are you talking about? You are going nowhere near this. We are asking Ventress not you."

Ahsoka bristled at being treated like a child. It is amazing how her old master could let her lead an army and still see her as a baby that needed coddling. With force and anger she had never shown to her Anakin before she glared him down. "Anakin. You are no longer the boss of me and I can make my own decisions. Saj and I are partners and whatever mission she takes I will be a part of. I will not let her go against Dooku without my help. Now are we going to talk price and bonuses or not?" At the end of her rant she sat down with a satisfied smirk. She felt Ventress take her hand under the table to try and calm her down.

"Miss Tano, may I ask what you mean by bonuses? I understand asking for payment with Dooku but this part seems to elude me." Vos interjected into the conversation for the first time.

It wasn't Ahsoka who answered though. Ventress who was back from her daydream to help her partner face her past decided to interject. "She is referring to others that are worth something. While the Jedi may be optimists in believing that if Dooku is dead the war will be over but that is a lie. There are many other leaders including General Grievous. What Soka is asking is that we discuss the amount of money the order will pay us for Dooku's head as well as any others who may get taken care of on the way. Dooku may not be alone and taking out a few other Separatist leaders during the mission should be worth something."  
After a few emotional outbursts the talk of money and acceptance of the job was done. Ahsoka, Ventress, and Vos would be joined by both Anakin and Obi-Wan during this mission. Vos was assigned to the mission originally and the other two were partners so those three were a given. Anakin refused to let Ahsoka out of his sight now and would not let her face Dooku without being there himself. Obi-Wan who hated the idea of being on an assassination mission knew that leaving these four would prove disastrous plus he needed to make sure that these two were not a threat to the Jedi.

With everything sorted out they left the hall Ahsoka turned left down the hall with Saj's hand in hers and was about to head to their room when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning to see her old master and that he wanted to talk to her she nodded. She knew she had to get this over with and knew she had to do it alone. Looking to her side to see Saj staring at her "Don't worry I'll be back later." Saj said nothing but squeezed her hand quick before letting go and walking down the corridor. Ahsoka turned to follow Anakin wondering how this day would end.


	4. The Past

Dark Disciple's Partner

Anakin led her to his ship and his room to talk to her. He wanted to see her in private to find out the truth. They walked the whole way in silence. When they reached the room they both sat down on the edge of the bed. "What happened snips? You seem different." His voice had a twinge of sadness. "Did you turn around and go straight to Ventress after you left the temple?"

She couldn't keep eye contact for the man. "A lot happened." She paused in what she wanted to say. "Anakin I know what you want, but I can't give it to you. I can't come back."

"Why? Because of Ventress? Did she do something to you!?" He stood up ready to rush out of the room.

Ahsoka stood up and grabbed his arm. "Anakin! She didn't do anything wrong! Leave her out of this."

The force behind her voice was new. She had argued with him before but this was the first time she ever stood against him. He didn't like it at all. He sat back down and looked at his former padawan. "Can you tell me what happened over the last year?"

She chuckled a little. "You just want to know where I got my light-sabers don't you."

He smiled a little sheepishly "I can't say I am not interested but I do really want to know Snips."

She laughed at that. Oh, how comfortable she felt. How easy it was to just go back to the way they used to be. She would almost be tempted to if it wasn't for Saj. "Where do you want me to start? It really isn't a secret."

He smiled a genuine smile at her. How he missed their conversations. "Why don't you start at the beginning?'

"Well it started off a little like this….." And she launched into a quick story about how she ran into Ventress and became partners.

"That's it? You just traveled across the galaxy and fell in love hunting criminals?" He was a little incredulous how willing she was to go away with Ventress.

"No there was much more than that. I mean at first it was just collecting a couple simple bounties. I mean it's not like she didn't know me at all. She had us only going after murderers and rapists. It was simple but also nice not having to worry about a war going on. I was also able to see other planets not at war. To see peace. I never realized during the time with the Jedi all the beauty and simplicity of the galaxy. It was just one warzone after another." She sighed staring off into space.

"So that's all that happened? Just a bunch of simple bounties?" He looked unconvinced. He knew she had a knack for getting into trouble.

"Well no. That was just the first two months. We were getting into a simple rhythm together and it was already comfortable between us. We never really talked about our past or the Jedi, just simple everyday things until we got contacted for a job that changed everything."

\---

10 months earlier

"Did you see that guys face! He was all 'out of my way little girl' and I was like 'pow' right in his face." Ahsoka explained their latest killer they caught on Alderaan. Ventress just seemed amused by her antics. She had gotten used to the girls antics and it made her usually silent ship feel not so empty. Not so cold after all the death in her life. She would be sad when the girl left.

Sometimes she would share stories about what to expect when working as a bounty hunter. She didn't want the girl to die because she was being reckless. The one she had been most surprised about was the story about her job on the train on Quarzite. Many things about this story shocked her. One was the corruption of the leader and how he could do what he wanted and suppressed his people so much that it was OK to kidnap a bride, and yet she remembered that the   
Republic did business with him. But disappointment with the Republic was nothing new. No what was interesting was her surely, crass, tough as nails partner did the right thing and helped the hostage. That she ended up being cunning enough to get all the money anyway was just a Ventress thing to do. But it did make her look differently at her.

And while Ventress was in the middle of another story about how not to trust people (which was the point of all of them) she received a call from someone looking to hire her. When she received the call and the hologram popped up, Ahsoka was surprised she recognized a certain Weequay she had a run in with fairly recently. "Hondo!"

He seemed just as surprised "Ahsoka! What are you doing here! I meant to call Ventress! Wait I didn't mean that! I, a humble business man have no reason to contact such an evil, vile, Sith!"

"Well it's nice to hear from you too…." Hondo finally noticed Ventress was in the room.

"What! No I would never say….. Uh can someone explain before I shove my foot further up my ass?" He seemed a little sheepish.

It was Ventress who answered "It seems Hondo, that you have met my new partner in the past."

That shocked him. "You do know she is a Jedi don't you?"

"Not anymore." Ventress looked over to her new partner who had that despondent look on her face. The same one she always had when this topic occurred. She looked away and back at Hondo. Why should she care how Ahsoka feels? She will go running back to her Jedi masters before long.

"Well that is shocking. I guess it has to do with her face being plastered all over the news about 3 months back. Oh well. If she is with you than she is alright in my book. But more importantly Ahsoka dear! Why didn't you come work for me? I thought we were friends!"

Ahsoka giggled a little. "You tried to kill me! Why would… oh well I guess Ventress has to. Didn't you have a job for us?" Trying to get herself out of a tight spot. Not noticing the small amount of guilt on Ventress' face

That seemed to tame his exuberance a little. "Yes, unfortunately." Both of them noticed the switch in attitude which for the interesting Weequay meant this really was serious. "A few of my ships went missing near Florrum. Our home base! I was ready to go myself to solve the mystery when one of my men returned…. He had been tortured and beaten!" Here he had a few tears. "He was sent to give a message. I am supposed to join with this new criminal group as some sort of follower! Hondo Ohnaka is not a follower! They said if we didn't we would be crushed. Now normally I face these problems and get some business out of it but this new group, the Shadow Collective, they are ruthless and kill anyone in their way. They have the Black Sun, The Pikes, and the Hutts are a part of it." This was news even to Ventress who was good at keeping track of the things going on in the galaxy. "That isn't even the best of it though. There are rumors of Sith organizing it."

That certainly had their attention. Was Dooku organizing crime not to try to help with the war? Ahsoka wanted to know more and was all for doing this job. Ventress definitely wanted information on the man who had betrayed her.

"We are on our way." Ventress ended the call and got everything ready. There was no banter or jokes on the way to Florrum. This was not a normal catch a murderer job.

When they arrived at Florrum they were met by Hondo who explained to them about the meeting set up for terms with the Shadow Collective.

Ahsoka and Ventress were gathering gear together from their ship. "Do you think this is a good idea?"

Ventress turned around and looked at her partner. "What do you mean?"

"We could be going to a meeting with Dooku and we don't even have any lightsabers. This could be an ambush."

Ventress froze at that. She cursed herself knowing she always got tunnel vision when it came to Dooku. She stop to think everything through. After a minute she spoke up. "It should not be a problem. I doubt Dooku would come all the way here for Hondo. If he has all the other crime syndicates then Hondo isn't as big of a fish. He will most likely send a representative." While what she said was true she was definitely going to be more careful during the meeting.

They traveled to the meeting spot with Hondo and 12 of his men. Much to their dismay it took several hours to reach the location as Hondo would not shut up and kept offering Ahsoka a spot on his crew. Much to Ventress' annoyance.

That was when it all went to hell. A ship approached the meeting point and it was clearly of Pike design. It was Ventress who first noticed something was wrong when the ship landed and the doors opened. Out stepped a man that she once knew, once trained, and was also betrayed by. Savage Oppress. He was flanked by 10 members of the Pike clan as he walked toward the meeting.

He noticed Ventress and became much more alert. He could feel another presence and it was probably the person in the cloak next to Ventress. He didn't not recognize the person nor did he care. "Hondo, we came here under the idea we were going to have a negotiation and it turns out you hire bounty hunters? Is this your answer?" He was already moving his hand to his lightsaber.

"I am Hondo Ohnaka! I do not bow." That was when Hondo pulled out his Magnagard staff. The lasers going back and forth between the pirates and pikes were hectic as Ventress and Ahsoka went to head off Savage.

He pulled out his light saber and swung it wildly. Ventress and Ahsoka dodged his first and second swing before moving back out of his range. He may not be the most skilled with a lightsaber but he is definitely powerful and without sabers themselves it would be an uphill fight.  
Savage closed the distance and brought an overhead strike down onto Ventress who had enough time to jump to the left out of the way while Ahsoka aimed a kick to his back which did almost nothing as he let out a grunt at the impact. She jumped away quickly as he swung horizontally behind him to try to catch her.

"Well Ventress. It seems you are weaponless. How fortunate to deal with you in such a harmless situation. He swung again but she ducked under the blade as it cut into a rock behind her. A large chunk which landed on her leg breaking it. She screamed in pain and tried to get up but it wasn't fast enough until and orange blur pushed her out of the way.

Ahsoka saw Ventress on the ground in pain. She wouldn't be able to run or escape this time. Ahsoka had to do something for the woman who had helped her, had become her partner, and even become her friend over the last few months. She jumped and pushed Ventress out of the way as the blade came down. She could feel the blinding pain running from her left should diagonally across her back to her right hip before she passed out.

Ventress had no idea what had happened. She limped up to see she was alright but in front of her was a scene she had not expected. Savage was standing over Ahsoka and she wasn't moving. Ventress saw the wound and knew it was terrible. Life threatening even. This girl, no her partner, took that for her. She did something so selfless for her. She had never had that. Not since her sisters were dead. Savage was going for one more strike on the Togruta when he was hit from behing by an electrifying force and stumbled. He turned and saw 8 Weequay one was holding a Magnagard staff. With Ventress still able to fight it would be too much. He used his lightsaber to block the shots from the pirates while retreating to his ship. These pirates were not worth the effort to destroy them. He flew the ship back to his brother. They had enough support to enact their plans and attack Mandalore.

Ventress picked up Ahsoka to find she was still alive. She spun around and turned to the pirate. "Do you have a healer here?!"

"No we don't. Also I don't know of any healer on Florrum that is experienced with Togruta." He had a sad look in his eye that he was resigned to the girl's fate.  
Ventress was not. She took Ahsoka and hoped on a speeder and rushed back to the ship. She strapped Ahsoka into a Bacta tank she had on board to help her while starting the ship up.

She turned to find Hondo handing her a large amount of money. "For the job. For the record I hope she is ok." Ventress just nodded as he walked of the ship she took off from the planet and looked at the closest planets and saw one that would be most inclined to help.  
She entered in hyperspace coordinates and the ship jumped on its way to Shilli.

That was when she finally allowed herself to sit down. She went into the room with the bacta tank and stared at it. There was no movement from Ahsoka. That was when she noticed the tears. She was crying. How had she let this happen? She got close to another and they got hurt again. Not only was had it happened again but Ahsoka hurt protecting her. She had never had someone sacrifice themselves to protect her. She did not like it not one bit. She crumpled into a ball on the floor.

"Please be ok."

\---

Present time

"So you had a run in with Savage Oppress and nearly died? I am unsure how this is supposed to be helping me be ok with this." Anakin said at the end of the story.

"Well I don't expect you to yet. That was just the beginning. The story is still pretty long and a lot more happens. But it is late and it has been a really long day. Chasing down a 4 armed embezzler, dealing with Jedi, and reliving the past. It is time to get some sleep." She stood up to leave Anakin's room.

"You are going to come back and finish the story right?" He looked despondent at seeing her go.

"I will be back tomorrow. We need to figure out a way to get to Dooku so it will take some time before we leave here." She gave him a hug. "Goodnight Skyguy."

She walked back to her room and opened the door. She found Saj waiting for her. "Took you long enough. Ready to go back to the Jedi now." Saj couldn't hide the bitterness in her voice. She was always afraid that would happen. That Ahsoka would return.

Ahsoka crawled into bed next to her partner and kissed her on the cheek before cuddling up next to her trying to relieve her of all her fears. "I'm not going anywhere. Let's get rid of Dooku." She smiled a darker smile than she would have showed Anakin.

Saj smiled and wrapped her arm around her. She ran her fingers along her back over the scar that was still there. "I told him the story about how I got that." She saw the twinge of guilt flash across Saj's face. "Don't do that. Stop blaming yourself for what happened."

Saj decided to switch topics. "So if you are telling him about our adventures are you going to tell him the truth about what you learned?"

It was Ahsoka's turn to look uncomfortable. She broke eye contact and looked down at her hand. "I don't know yet. We will see how he reacts to the rest of the story. But if he is a part of this mission he will probably find out."

She sat there and watched Lightning jump across her fingers with the small amount of energy sent there. What would her masters reaction be to her use of the dark side?


	5. Shili

Dark Disciple's Partner

Ahsoka and Ventress were eating breakfast they had in their guest room at the Senator building. There was a knock on the door. Ahsoka got up to answer it to find Obi-Wan at the door. "May I come in?" Ventress gave him a glare while Ahsoka had opened the door. She missed it when it was just her and Ahsoka. All the Jedi keep interrupting any time they have together.

"Would you like any food Master Kenobi?" Ahsoka always the polite one.

"Thank you." He sat at the table and calmly ate some of the food they had prepared. There was a awkward silence while eating before Obi-Wan broke it. "Have you got any information that will help us in locating Dooku yet?"

Ventress answered as Ahsoka still had food in her mouth. "Not yet. With Dooku his movements are always kept secretive and would be difficult to find out. But It should take only a few days before we can find a important event or something of the like in the near future where we know he will be in attendance.

"That is good I don't want to be stuck on this forever. The sooner the war is over the better." Ahsoka was nodding to the statement while Ventress didn't react.

"Well I told Anakin I would meet him to talk some more so I will get going!" She got up from the table and kissed Ventress on the cheek and bolted out the door leaving the two alone.

"Lazy slob." Ventress got up and picked up her and Ahsoka's dishes. And put them in the sink. "So you have me alone. What do you want to know?"  
Obi-Wan just arched his eyebrow. "You seem so domestic. Ahsoka's changed you."

She glared in his direction. "I have not changed as much as you like and I am sure that Ahsoka has changed as much as I have since you last saw her."

"I hope it was a good change. There are many people who worry about her safety." Obi-Wan stated as he was getting ready to leave. He walked out the door but stopped before making a decision. "There are also some people who worry about her." And with that he left. Plo Koon asked him to protect Ahsoka even if it was from the Jedi. From what he could see the best person to do that was Ventress. What a strange time.

\---

Ahsoka met Anakin in a café on Pantora to continue their conversation. "So where was I?"

"Well when you left off in your story you had just been wounded and Ventress was taking you to Shilli." He stated helpfully. Though he still couldn't help saying her name with a little sneer.

She just sighed. "Right. Well when we arrived…."

10 months ago

Ventress landed the ship at a landing strip in the capital. And it was immediately swarmed by guards wearing traditional Togruta clothing.

The captain of the Shilli guards, denoted by the darker clothes, stood forward and yelled "Step out of the ship. Leave all weapons on the ship. You have landed illegally without proper identification. You will be detained until this information could be found."

The ramp to Ventress' ship lowered and she walked out carrying Ahsoka. "I will answer any questions you have just please save her." Her tears from earlier were gone but the redness of the eyes were still there.

All the guards saw the condition of the Togruta and immediately escorted the pair to the healers as quickly as possible. She was taken in while Ventress had to wait outside. The Togruta are extremely loyal species of alien and while one of their own was brought in injured which this mystery woman most likely saved she was still an unknown.

She was brought into a room with the captain of the guard that had escorted them for some questioning. The captain had light orange skin with lekku halfway down his torso. This put him just shy of 30 years old. A little older than herself.

With an unknown Togruta injured and brought in without any notification or identification, it was a delicate situation and the captain needed to get answers from the unknown Dathomirian.

"Can you tell me what happened to the Togruta you brought in and how she came to be in your possession?" Togruta were traditional and did not often leave Shili willingly. Usually there is foul play involved somehow. Although the woman in front of him seemed genuinely concerned that did not mean he was going to drop his guard.

Ventress on the other hand was frustrated. These idiots were keeping her from finding out if Ahsoka was OK. She was still holding on to a quite a bit of guilt due to what happened. Ahsoka had expressed her concerns before the meeting and she had brushed them off and now she was lying there injured. So she was a bit surly at the moment. "That is none of your business! Just tell me if she is going to be alright." Who was this guy to ask personal questions of her?

He took her hostility rather calmly. It was expected after all. "Can you at least tell me her name? And maybe yours as well?" He tried to smile kindly to her but only received a sneer unrivaled by any he had ever seen.

"Why should I tell you?" Why couldn't they just heal Ahsoka and let them go on their way? She had money.

"If you don't give us any information we will hold you indefinitely and wait for your 'friend' to wake up. I am sure she will be plenty talkative for us." He threatened back. This women was stubborn and he wasn't about to help a possible kidnapper or slaver.

"Probably. She likes to talk a lot." She deadpanned.

Curious. Still he gave the signal for his plan. A woman like this needed motivation. She needed a reason to answer his questions and him having some answers to something she wants to know would go a long way for that to happen even if it was a lie. Just then a guard knocked on the door and entered. Both occupants of the room turned toward the new person.

"Captain Tano, we have some information regarding the new patient." Captain Sharam Tano smiled as he saw a surprised and worried look in the eyes of the woman in front of him. He had her right where he wanted and stood up to leave the room.

"Tano." The woman whispered. She couldn't even look him in the eyes when she said his name.

"You want to say something now?"

She looked into eyes and had a mischievous smirk that scared him a little. "No. I already did say something. I answered your question. Her name is Ahsoka Tano."

The captain in front of her froze. How did this outsider know that name? He turned on her harshly all pretenses gone. "You are telling me that the woman you brought in is my sister?" He hadn't seen her since she was three. He was 13 when they took his sister away.

"I am telling you that the girl I brought in is named Ahsoka Tano. I have no idea who she is related to or if she is your sister or not." She explained to him. Obviously she had only given this information after hearing the guard say his name.

"My sister is a Jedi and wouldn't be traveling around with some criminal like you. It is not hard to tell you are not reputable enough to be around a Jedi." He said snidely. The woman had thrown him off his game.

She snorted at him making him angry. "You are right. I would never be around a Jedi they are sanctimonious bastards the lot of them. Don't presume to know anything about me or your sister!" She lashed out at him. He flinched at the truth in her outburst. He hadn't heard anything from his sister for 15 years. "The Jedi abandoned her. Threw her out like garbage and then when proven that they were wrong they pretended nothing happened!" She laughed hollowly. She didn't realize she felt that strongly about the Togruta's predicament with the Order but her injury seems to bring a lot of new feelings out of her. Also some old ones. She really wanted to kill Savage and not just for his previous betrayal. "The Jedi preach all about having no attachment, but really all that means is they don't even care about their own people. She meant nothing to them." The passion in her eyes bleeding through.

"What happened to her?" He sat back down in the chair exhausted. He was good at his job and no one could fake that outburst. It may not be all true but it had to have some truth to it.

"That is her story to tell if she wants to when she wakes up." She said making no way to argue. She said it in such a way that she knew that she would wake up.   
"Besides, I told you before that girl never shuts up." She grinned.

He got out of the chair he had been sitting in and left the room. While the woman seemed confident, this was family and he needed to get some answers. First and foremost was to confirm the identity of the Togruta. He went to go find the healers working on the woman so he could run her genetics through the database they had. When he entered the viewing room he saw the healers working on the woman. She was lying on her stomach with her face away from him. She definitely had the right skin tone but it had been a long time and without seeing her facial markings there was no way he could be sure. Even then those change while growing up.

A nurse entered the room and walked up to him while he was distracted. "Can we help you Captain?" He turned to see her startled out of his thinking.

"Yes, I need to run her genetics to find who she is."

The nurse nodded and hummed. "That was already done as she is an unknown. But you know this will take a while as it is a large database."

He shook his head. "No, after the interrogation we have a possible identity. I need you to run it against a specific family."

She nodded "which one would that be sir?"

"The Tano's."

She was surprised but agreed and left to follow instructions. She was back with positive results that the woman was a member of the Tano's but was not on record. This was expected as most Togruta's aren't entered until after the ceremonial Akul hunt at age 12. As Ahsoka left before that she was not in the system.

"Will she be alright?" His sister was in front of him. He had finally found her and she was severely wounded.

"Yes it will take some time before she can leave the hospital but I believe she will be awake by tomorrow morning. Although the wound was weird. I had never seen anything like it before."

He was happy she would be OK but frowned at the information. "What do you mean?"

She seemed nervous. "Well the wound's shape and bath looks like it was from a sword but it was cauterized like blaster wound. Although I have never seen a wound like this before. I would have to say it was caused by a light-saber."

He paused at this. Light-saber wielders were not good enemies to have. He needed to research his sister. If something major had happened then it would be in the news. He never checked the holonet as Shili was a neutral planet and tended to stay isolated. He thanked the nurse and went to his office at the guard station and checked all news reports regarding his sister and what he found surprised him.

She had been apprenticed under a war hero. She was an experienced battle commander. Tons of articles about her and Skywalker and the campaigns they led. Especially the article about their cousin planet of Kiros being saved from the Zygerrians.

Yet after all of that he found the articles he wished he didn't. Articles from 3 months ago that had wanted posters and words that they associated with his sister they never wanted. Traitor. Bomber. Murderer. Terrorist. Fugitive. What had the war done to his sister for this to happen? He also found an article talking about how she was found associating with a known criminal Asajj Ventress with a picture. At least he now knew who he had in custody. As she was a criminal against the Republic and they were neutral she was free here. Then came the article about how her master, Skywalker, had found the real culprit and Ahsoka was exonerated. There was nothing after that. No more campaigns or glowing articles about her. She just disappeared. It seemed that Ventress was right and that she had left.

After finding the information he returned to the room where he had left Ventress. She was anxious. After everything he had learned over the last couple hours he decided to be kind to the woman. She may be a criminal elsewhere but here she was someone that took care of his sister.

"The healers say she will make a full recovery. She will probably wake up sometime tomorrow morning, Ventress." She gave a relieved sigh.

"So now what happens to me? You know who I am."

"I am going to leave that to her. If you are telling the truth then there is nothing to worry about. If you are lying and you are the one that hurt her then you won't be going anywhere." Sharam got up and left the room. It was late and time to go home. He had quite a story to tell.

Sharam lived at home with his mother, Ashara Tano, his wife, Shala Tano, and his nine year old daughter, Ashla. Their father had died during an Akul hunt when Ahsoka was one so he had been out of the picture. It was tough for their mother to have two kids and take care of them all by themselves. When the Jedi came to take Ahsoka away it was considered and honor. It made things a little easier taking care of only one child but that doesn't mean Ashara didn't regret it every day. She missed her daughter and never heard anything from the Jedi Order. She sent messages every year on her birthday yet never heard back.

When he arrived home he saw them getting ready to sit down for dinner. Shala was the first one to see him enter and got up to greet him. "I was worried you would miss dinner because work went late again." She smiled and kissed his cheek. She was a beautiful Togruta. She was 29 to his 28. She spent some time working at a nearby clothing store but ever since having Ashla she had stayed at home with Ashara. Ashara had taken to Ashla quickly and took care of her granddaughter. Although the other adults knew it was because of the sense of loss because of Ahsoka.  
Sharam felt something run into his side and looked to see his daughter hugging his hip. "Good to see you too sweetie." He smiled and picked up Ashla and she giggled.

Ashara approached her son "It must have been an interesting day. You were almost 2 hours late." She chided him. Work was important but time with your family is more important.

"Actually mother it was." He put his daughter down and led Ashara to the living room. She sat on the couch looking worried while he took his place next to her. His wife and daughter stood in the door way to the room confused. "A ship landed on the landing pad unannounced and a pale woman exited carrying a severely injured Togruta."

Ashara was shocked. An outsider coming here with an injured Togruta was quite news worthy though that didn't explain the way her son was acting.  
Sharam continued though. "We kept the woman in holding and tried to get information out of her to find out who they were and what happened. When I found out the identity of the wounded Togruta I needed to stay to check genetics to make sure. Mother, the Togruta that was brought in is Ahsoka."

"Is she alright!" She stood up so quick. Shocked her daughter was here. "We need to go to the hospital now!"

Sharam just nodded and led the family to the hospital. Even Ashla had heard about her Jedi aunt and wanted to meet her. They rushed to get there at the insistence of Ashara which still thought it wasn't fast enough. He led them to a door with two guards on the door and nodded to them as they entered. In the room there was a bed which Ahsoka was lying on her stomach so the wound on her back could heal better. Ashara rushed to the bed side where a chair was. She just stared at Ahsoka's face crying. She brought her hand up to her face and let it rest on her cheek. "Oh… My baby girl." It would have been a sweet moment if it wasn't interrupted.

"Here for a family reunion?" The voice came from a dark corner from behind the door. All four occupants turned to face the person they hadn't noticed and Sharam drew a blaster on them. It was when he noticed Ventress was sitting relaxed in a chair watching them. She slowly rose her hands.

"Relax if I wanted to hurt anyone of you I would have done it before announcing my presence." She said cockily.  
Sharam didn't lower his blaster. "What are you doing here?"

"Guarding her." She said raising her eyebrow in a very vexing way.

"We have guards for that." Still not lowering the blaster.

"Are you referring to the same guards that kept me in my room? Or the ones standing outside the door here that still don't know I am here?" She smirked before   
dropping it. "Besides they wouldn't be able to stop the one that did that." She said pointing to Ahsoka.

"And who did that to her? I know it was a light-saber wound." He finally started lowering his blaster it seemed she was finally answering questions.

"A monster." She said darkly. "One that won't be living long if I have anything to say about it."

It was Ashara who finally moved forward before bowing before Ventress. "Thank you for saving my daughter."

Ventress only chuckled at the display leaving the others confused. "You should not be thanking me. I only brought her here. That wound was meant for me and she took it. Not to mention me saving her once doesn't really cancel out the fact that I have tried to kill her about a dozen times. Not to mention the fact I trained the one that did this." She looked down.

Ashara only smiled and bent down and hugged a petrified Ventress. "Yet you were still there for her. She must really care for you to do that." Ventress didn't move or even speak.

Just then a soft voice from behind them mumbled and was only heard due to the unnatural silence. "My mother is hugging Saj. I must have died. But I am pissed now. I took that hit so you would live Saj. You weren't supposed to die too."

Ventress chuckled at the ramblings of the sleep deprived woman. "You aren't dead idiot. I brought you to Shili to get some healers to save your pathetic life. It just so happened that your brother was the one that arrested me when I arrived. Also if you want to stay alive don't call me Saj."

Ahsoka just smiled "Too bad." Then looking over to an unknown woman with a girl standing next to a familiar man. "Sharam?"

He had tears in his eyes as he nodded. "This is my wife Shala and daughter Ashla." He gestured to the people standing next to him.

"Id get up and give you a hug but I am a little stuck." The little girl laughed.

After the introductions and some small talk Ahsoka went back to sleep. Sharam, Ashara, and Ventress couldn't sleep but Ashla fell asleep and Shala took her back home to get some rest herself. Ashara wouldn't leave Ahsoka's side and Sharam gave her all the articles he had found on Ahsoka.

Ventress ended up falling asleep in the early morning. It was early afternoon when she awoke to find Ahsoka staring at her and the rest of the room empty. "I heard you were really worried about me. I didn't know you cared."

"Shut up. You are a good partner and those are hard to come by." She looked away. She was embarrassed by her behavior and wished Ahsoka hadn't heard.

"Sure. Anyway I have been thinking, and we really need to get light-sabers." Ventress was blindsided by the change in topic and wondering where it came about. Then she remembered the original deal.

"You don't need to worry about the deal. You are free to do what you want and can stay here with your family. I will find a light-saber on my own and Ill by ok."  
Ahsoka never stopped smiling. That hurt Ventress more though but didn't let it show. At least until Ahsoka spoke. "Good. Because I still want to come with you. I want to. And we are going to need lightsabers so something like that doesn't happen again." Ventress sat with her mouth agape. Ahsoka wanted to stay with her? She never thought she would choose her over her family. Would She choose Ahsoka over her sisters were they alive? Shockingly she came to the conclusion she would. She felt comfortable traveling around with her. It was like it was where they belonged. There had always been something missing before and it that feeling was gone again. "Anyway." Ahsoka continued as she saw that Saj, how she now referred to her, had been lost in thought. "I think I know where we can get some light-sabers."

"What about your family?" Ventress suddenly asked.

"While you were sleeping we had talked. I told them that it was amazing being reunited with them, but Shili isn't for me. I would get bored too quickly. Although for my mother to promise to let me go with you I needed to promise to visit often and contact through holograms more often. Also if Shili has a problem for a powerful force user I can come back and help out." She explained.

Ventress laughed hard. "The big bad war commander needs permission from her mother to play out past dark." She was suddenly hit with a pillow thrown by the sheepish looking patient across from her.

"Shut up."

"So where are we going to get light-sabers?"

"Oh that. Anakin always told stories about The Old Republic and about Revan. He was a hero of Anakins. Anyway one story was about how there are rumors that there are battlefields littered with light-sabers still on Malachor."

Ventress smiled. "To Malachor then."

Present

"MALACHOR! You went to Malachor?! That place is dangerous!" For most of the story Anakin had been silent. Also he asked a few questions about how she knew what happened since she had been unconscious most of the time but apparently her brother had told what had occurred during their arrival on Shili.

She stood her ground. She was a grown woman and didn't have to answer to him anymore. "Yes Malachor. It is where we got our light-sabers."

"Your white ones?" He asked curiously. Anakin always had a thing about light-sabers even though he constantly lost his own.

"My white one, and my other one also." She had decided that she would tell him everything damn the consequences. She wasn't going to hide and she didn't do anything wrong. She pulled out her other light-saber that had the same hilt. She ignited it and Anakin backed up a little seeing it.

"Ahsoka where did you get that." She frowned a little seeing his reaction to her blade. She may have had some trepidation when she got it but it is a part of her.

"It all started when we went to Malachor…."


	6. Malachor

Dark Disciple's Partner

After leaving Ahsoka and Ventress' guest room, Obi-Wan Went back to the hanger to make a call.

He appeared as a hologram in front of the rest of the council. "Master Kenobi, it is good to see you again." Greeted Master Plo Koon.

"You as well." Obi-Wan turned to the rest of the council. "Fellow master, I have made contact with Ventress and Ahsoka. The tension between the Jedi Order and Pantora has been solved and both Ventress and Ahsoka are agreed to aid in the mission against Dooku."

"That is good news." Replied Master Mundi. "The more help in the attack the better the chances it will succeed."

"Stay with them, Anakin will. Watch them you must." Yoda suddenly ordered.

Mace Windu was in agreement. "Yes. How are things on that front?"

Obi-Wan answered calmly "While Ahsoka seems a little upset with the council, it seems she is more of a mind to be left alone rather than seek vengeance. She is with Ventress for going after Dooku, but I can say she will not be returning to the order." Mace Windu nodded.

Master Plo Koon's eyes crinkled a little letting people know he was smiling. It was interrupted by Master Windu though. "Is she aware of what happened 3 months ago? I know we tried to keep it quiet, but bounty hunters are notorious for gaining information."

Obi-Wan shook his head "If she did, she gave no reason to let me know. I don't think she fully trusts me. Anakin would probably be able to find out. You don't think she had anything to do with it do you?" Only Plo Koon shook his head while the rest had grim looks. It was like last year all over again. They had already deemed her guilty.

With that the call ended. Obi-Wan rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. Why did he feel like he was being pulled in two different directions?

\---

Across town Anakin and Ahsoka had left the café and were walking down the street. Anakin was rubbing the bridge of his nose also. "So tell me what happened at Malachor."

Ahsoka had already decided to tell him everything no matter what. She didn't want to hide who she was even if she lost the respect of her former master. She only worried he would do something stupid and blame Ventress.

"We spent a week in Shili planning the trip. I also spent time with my family catching up. Playing with my niece was especially fun." She giggled probably remembering something funny the little girl did. "Anyway we left after promising to visit and stay in touch. It took a few days and a couple of hyperspace jumps to get to Malachor as it was on the other side of the galaxy. When we arrived…"

9 months ago

Ansoka and Ventress walked through the wasteland that was Malachor. Everything looked black and burnt. Eventually they saw a building in the distance that looked untouched. The both walked toward it without saying a word. Neither noticed the battlefield they walked across to arrive there, nor the dozens of light-sabers they passed by. After arriving at the building it was Ventress who spoke up.

"This looks like a Sith temple. We should leave." She was wary with good reason as Sith temples were notoriously dangerous and she was getting a weird feeling being near the building.

"No it isn't." Ahsoka replied awed. "This is a temple from the Revanites. They were neither Sith nor Jedi. We should see what is in it!" With that she used the force to enter the temple. Her former master had talked about Revan a lot in the past and finding a Revanite temple would make him jealous.

Ventress followed still reluctant to enter the rather dark and ominous building. The walls were dark grey slate as are the floors. The two of them walked down the empty corridors. Neither knew where they were going but both of them could feel themselves being pulled in a particular direction. When they came to a dead end in the middle of a hallway they both instantly knew it was a door. The section of wall was a dozen feet high and fifteen feet long.

They both turned to each other and spoke at the same time. "Together." They used the Force to lift the door and it rose slowly. Once it reached the ceiling it halted and stayed in place. They entered the chamber and suddenly lights blinked on showering the room in light. The entire room was in an octagonal shape with a diameter of 40 feet. In the center was a large circular table the blinked on with light and in the center there appeared to be a hologram image of Revan. At least that was until it spoke.

"Greetings my successors!" The image spoke.

Ahsokas mouth hit the floor while Ventress was still able to keep her wit about her. "What do you mean by successors?"

"I mean that for you to find this room you would have to been pulled here. Only someone of like mind as me who could understand the truth about the force would be brought before me. Therefore you are my successors. And to that end welcome to the temple of knowledge. There is a temple of strength on the opposite side of the planet although it's really just a giant weapon." He explained in a flat tone.

"That sounds dangerous." She replied back just as dryly.

"Don't worry. If someone activates it will explode. I sort of left the self-destruct on." He chuckled.

"Right." She drew out the word like she really didn't believe him.

"Anyways you were brought here to learn the truth behind the force."

"About the dark side? Or the light? You had been known to use both." Ahsoka waking up from her shock decided to put her input in.

A deep sigh came from the hologram which is surprising since a hologram doesn't have any air. "No that is the point. And what I am here to teach you. The Jedi and the Sith are both wrong about the force. But they are also both right. There is only one force and it is controlled by emotions and using those emotions will help empower your abilities. The Jedi use kindness and compassion to try and protect and the Sith use hate and anger to destroy. These are just aspects of a single force that has a large spectrum and is not something that is split."

While Ahsoka was trying to process the words that seemed possible it was Ventress who asked a question that she had been wondering. "Why did you bring us specifically…. Besides the fact we are probably the only people that have been on the planet since it was destroyed."

"While that may be true, you would have only been brought to this room if you were worthy. In this room I am able to gather a lot of information from around the galaxy and I can see much from here. Asajj Ventress, you have seen the good and bad in both the Jedi and Sith and have chosen the path in the middle. You are a child of the grey." His gaze turned to Ahsoka. "You have been filled with the power of the brightest of the light and the darkest of the dark, yet have chosen to forsaken the later for the former." Ventress spun to look at Ahsoka with surprise on her face. She had no idea that Ahsoka had a brush with the dark side.

Ahsoka just sat there wide eyed. "Mortis." She whispered quietly.

"Correct. Now would you like to learn?"

They both looked to each other and nodded. Ahsoka was wary learning the dark side but if it really was just a part of the same force she wanted to know. She had been worried that after leaving the Order she would stop learning and improving. Ventress had felt she had only just been existing and had stagnated since Dooku's betrayal. And after what happened with Savage she never wanted to be that weak. Not only that, but both had started to realize they wanted the power to make sure they could protect the other. Ventress never wanted to see Ahsoka hurt like that again. It had unnerved her how much her reaction showed that the Togruta had grown on her. Ahsoka knew that even though she had taken the hit to save Ventress that if Savage kept going there was nothing she could have done to stop him.

"We will learn." Said Ahsoka.

"What is it? You still seem hesitant. If you have questions just ask." Revan pushed.

"I am just worried about the dark side. I have felt it and I know that it is dark and controlling. I don't want to lose control and hurt someone I care about." She said while glancing to her side. Something that Ventress caught and smiled.

"Tell me Ahsoka. Do you think Ventress is evil and out of control?" He asked.

"No." She said instantly shocking the Dathomirian.

"There is no problem using emotions to fight. It is all about what you are doing and your actions rather than where the power comes from. If you see someone being sold to slavery and you aren't angry, then you are a monster. If you see a woman being raped and you aren't angry, then you are a monster. There is nothing wrong using anger at something wrong happening to protect those victims. Force lightning can be used to stun someone about to steal, is that evil? What if you spare a criminal that has committed atrocities that can use money to escape justice? Would your conscience still be clear on that since you did the compassionate thing sparing a monster? I doubt Ventress would spare Savage after he hurt you. Would you blame her if she killed him?"

Ahsoka blushed a little at the thought of Ventress being angry on her behalf. "No. I guess not. I understand what you are saying, but I don't want to lose control."

"The only reason you were out of control on Mortis was because you were being controlled. This would be on your terms. It is all about balance. You need to understand your own feelings and how to channel them. This will allow you full access to the power within you. Light, dark, and everything in between. This is something you both have the opportunity to achieve."

Ahsoka smiled. This was her next step. "What do we need to do to achieve this balance?"

"Well, it is quite simple. You need to understand all of your emotions. Ahsoka needs to see and feel darker emotions while Ventress needs more positive emotions and to connect and trust someone." Ventress looked over to Ahsoka knowing that she felt comfortable with her. She knew there was a connection between them. One that made her listen to Ahsoka when she was on the run. A connection that made her become her partner.

She knew what had to be done to achieve this. "We need to go to Dathomir."

"Yes." Revan agreed. Happy that Ventress got the hint. He could see she was as protective and scared as he was. She needed someone at her side. Someone to trust for her not to just survive but to thrive.

Ahsoka knew that Dathomir was where Ventress was from. This was an important step and she would trust her partner and just nodded. She would find out why they needed to go there later.

"Now that the next step in your training has been decided, we need to take care of the problem which you came here to remedy. Light-sabers!"

Ahsoka and Ventress both had blank looks. They had completely forgotten that was why they had come here originally.

He continued talking "Now I have the perfect light-sabers for both of you." A drawer on the console popped open and Ventress walked forward. Inside were two light-sabers with identical curved hilts similar to her old blades. She picked them up and ignited them. "For the one that stands between the night and day, she will wield the twin light-sabers of Dawn and Dusk." Ventress had two light sabers of burnt orange.

Another drawer popped open with two more light-sabers with curved hilts. She picked them up and ignited them. "For the one who has the brightest light and the darkest dark, she will wield the twin blades of Day and Night?" Ahsoka looked surprised at the white blade in her left hand and a black one in her right.  
She still looked apprehensively at the black blade. She was going to go against everything she had been taught. Then a hand was on top of the one holding the black light-saber and she saw a look of understanding in Ventress' eyes. "Trust me."

Ahsoka just nodded. She would be fine with Ventress.

"Good! Now my mission is complete. There is a library behind the door on the other side of the chamber. Take what you want." Then the hologram sparked and fizzled out. Its mission of helping Revan's successor was done and it would be left to them to continue on.

The two of them went into the library and it had a ton of information. They took a few things on theory of the force written by Revan and several volumes on light-saber forms. Especially dual wielding forms. Ventress wanted a new form Dooku didn't know so she could get an upper hand. Ahsoka needed a new form due to the fact her form was for a shoto and a normal length light-saber and now she has two normal length. They gathered everything and went back to the ship. They place everything there and went to the main lounge area of the ship and fell on the couch exhausted. A sharp hiss drew Ventress' attention. She saw Ahsoka with a look of pain sitting up. The wound on Ahsoka's back was yet to be fully healed.

"Let me take a look at that." Ahsoka nodded and turned her back to Ventress complying with the offer. Ventress brought her hands up and undid the bandages across Ahsoka's back to look at the wound. It was healing well and would be as good as new in a week or so. She ended up placing some cream on it to make sure it didn't get an infection and wrapped it up in some new bandages.

Ahsoka had gotten lost in the feel of Ventress' precise hands on her back she didn't even notice when Ventress was done.

"Will you tell me about Mortis?" It suddenly broke Ahsoka out of her glazed state.

Ahsoka slowly nodded. She knew she would have to. Then remembering what Revan had explained about the force about knowing her feelings and needing to not be afraid of them, she decided to take that leap of faith. With her back still to Ventress she leaned back until she hit Ventress' chest softly. She felt the other woman stiffen for moment, worrying her she had gone to far, before relaxing into the contact. Ahsoka turned to look at Ventress making eye contact. They both exchanged a meaningful glance and nod where no words needed to be said. Ahsoka turned her head back forward and made sure she was comfortable.

As she started to tell Ventress all about one of her scariest experiences in her life she felt Ventress wrap her arms around her stomach. Ahsoka smiled a little before telling her everything. She trusted Ventress. Maybe even more than she had trusted Anakin which was scary. She could feel a strong connection between the two. One that made her want to go with her when she was given the offer. Neither of them even had to bring up the fact that Ahsoka only agreed to stay until they got light-sabers again.

Ahsoka told Ventress about the force wielders, about what happened with the son and how she was controlled by him and forced to fight Anakin and Obi-Wan.   
She even told Ventress that she had died. Ventress' hold on her tightened a bit during that part. Then she explained how the daughter's life force brought her back and that this was what Revan had meant when he talked about her. When the story ended she turned to look at Ventress worried she saw pity, but all she found was determination.

Ventress knew she had to help her get over this. She had been controlled and used. But Ahsoka had the passion and protective nature to use the full spectrum of the force. And when she succeeded she would be brilliant. And Ventress would be there to see it.

She leaned down and kissed Ahsoka. It wasn't a kiss of lust but of understanding. They were partners and would stand by one another. They pulled back with small smiles. Ahsoka turned around and leaned back into Ventress.

"Was that your first kiss?" Came from an amused voice next to her ear.

"No. Did you think I was just some innocent girl you could prey on?" Ahsoka tried to sound offended but couldn't keep the contentment out of her voice.

"Oh? Is there a boyfriend or an ex I need to worry about?" Ventress said in a heavy voice into Ahsoka's ear sending a shiver down her spine.

"No. It was a short fling. We both knew it wouldn't last. He was handsome and nice. That is all."

"Wow. So you only had the one?"

Ahsoka was quiet for a second. "With the Jedi there wasn't much opportunity to sneak around but there was someone. Nothing happened, but I had hoped it would…. Until."

Ventress suddenly realized who she meant. "Barriss?"

Ahsoka just nodded. Tears started going down her face. "How could she do that to me? We were friends."

Ventress just held her. "I don't know."

"What about your past conquests?" Ahsoka asked while trying to wipe away the tears. She was desperately trying to get her mind off Barriss.

"Well there were a couple but it wasn't anything but a night of fun. When you travel with a droid army there really isn't anyone around to get close to.  
They sat in companionable silence for a few hours before Ahsoka decided to get up. She turned around once standing. She held out her hand to Ventress. "Shall we leave now?"

Ventress nodded. "To Dathomir."

Present

Anakin was stunned by the story. Ahsoka getting together with Ventress. Meeting Revan and getting legendary texts and light-sabers from him. Ahsoka agreeing to learn the dark side. It was mind boggling.

"Did you learn the dark side?" He eventually asked.

Ahsoka looked around. The two of them were on the edge of town. She held out her hand and a burst of force lightning shot out of her hand and hit a rock about fifteen feet away.

She turned to see his reaction. He was surprised. But also what surprised him was that it didn't feel evil. She hadn't felt like she was channeling darkness.

"Please don't tell the Jedi council. I am sure they are worried about me being with Ventress. I don't want to know what they would do if they knew. Not even Obi-Wan." She was a little anxious. She had always trusted him and this could end up making a large enemy out of the Jedi.

"Of course Snips. You can trust me. By the way, you are going to have to demonstrate more of what you learned for me later." He had a predatory grin on. He wanted to see how much his padawan had grown and was looking forward to a good spar. "Now tell me about your little trip to Dathomir."

Ahsoka gave him one of her giant smiles he missed so much. As she launched into a story about Dathomir. She had made sure it was alright to tell Anakin about it. Ventress was such a softy she thought.


	7. Dathomir Pt. 1

Dark Disciple's Partner

8 months ago

Ahsoka arrived in the cockpit as Asajj was preparing to take off. "Why are we going to Dathomir? Revan seemed sure that this would be the best way for me to access and learn how to use the dark side."

"The Nightsisters, my people lived on Dathomir and the planet is steeped in the darker side of the force. I think he wishes to have us train there because it is easier to draw from it there. Also there is a special coming of age ceremony on Dathomir that I will have you go through that will help." Asajj commented

"On Shili we have an Akul hunt. I never got to participate in it since I was with the Jedi. I think next time I go home I should do it." She mused.

"You should. I underwent the Nightsister ritual when I returned after Dooku's betrayal. They took me in and accepted me without hesitation." A tear escaped her as she paused in her preparations before brushing it away.

"What happened?" Ahsoka asked quietly as she watched Asajj move around the cabin. Ahsoka knew they had crossed a line recently and they had become close but this was deeply personal and she didn't want to step on Asajj's toes in this.

Her worry was for not though as Asajj was thinking the same thing. She could trust Ahsoka. Neither could explain exactly what happened on Malachor but it was as if both understood what the other wanted.

"Dooku. He sent Grievous with an army. He attacked and killed all of my sisters." Ahsoka nodded. She knew she couldn't understand what that felt like. There was no platitudes she could give to make her partner feel better so she changed the subject.

"Are we going to go through this ritual or rite of passage to unlock the darkness?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yes and no. We will need to train. We have new light-sabers and books that need to be studied. After what happened to us with Savage we really need to be ready for anything." Ahsoka just nodded her head in agreement. "Also when it comes to the dark side it isn't really locked it is just unused for you. Dathomir, with its environment steeped in the darker side of the force will be the perfect environment for you to learn how to harness it and control it. The planet is nearly empty so if a mistake happens then there is no one around to get hurt. You will need to spend time practicing with dark side abilities and learn to control them rather than just unleashing. The books we brought from Malachor should help with that." She concluded her plan for their trip as she finished putting in the coordinates and started the engines. The ship took off on Auto pilot toward Dathomir so Asajj went to the lounge to relax.

"Thank you for doing this." Ahsoka fidgeted. "I know this is a huge deal for you to have an outsider going to your home. I am glad you trust me enough to bring me there" Ahsoka went over to where Asajj had sat down and straddled her lap. She wrapped her arms around Asajj's back and buried her face into Asajj's neck.

"You are big on cuddling aren't you?" Asajj said chuckling while bringing her arms up around Ahsoka stroking her back.

"Yes I am. And whatever this is, it's good." Both had smiles on their face as they fell asleep.

Asajj shook Ahsoka awake after a few hours of silence. "We are here." Ahsoka rubbed the sleep as she came back to consciousness. She could tell they were out of hyperspace. Asajj went up to the cockpit to land the ship.

After landing Asajj opened the door and stepped out onto a planet she never thought she would return to. There were so few memories here and most of them were terrible. Ahsoka followed her out and froze. She could feel the darkness that had permeated this planet. It was clearer here than Malachor. While something about Malachor felt off and unusual, here it felt like the darkness belonged, that is was a part of the planet itself. Asajj grabbed her hand to calm her and pulled her into the woods.

The ground was a red colored clay that made the air dusty as they walked between the trees giving it an eerie feeling. Ahsoka looked around her to try and take in her surroundings. This was her partner's home. She saw some sacks hanging of the branches that did not look like a part of nature.

Asajj walked up to one and gently laid her hand on the side of it. "These contain my sisters. There is a burial ritual we perform to honor the dead by bathing their bodies in a sacred pool and placing them in these pods. It is as if they are trapped still alive and suspended between the sky and ground, life and death. With some of the magics known by the Nightsisters they can even be called from the dead to fight. I have seen it happen before." She looked forlorn. Ahsoka figured that since Asajj had spent little time here she was unable to learn a large amount of Nightsister lore.

Asajj could feel the reminder of her hate and pain being emphasized by the dark forces of the planet. It all resurfaced and the tears came unbidden. Ahsoka came up to her and held her in comfort.

"Let it out. Remember what we learned on Malachor. Suppressing emotions is what causes us to lose control. Feel the pain and the hate but also feel the love. They were your sisters and wouldn't want you consumed with the pain of their loss. They loved you Asajj." Ahsoka could feel some of the darkness recede. She still saw the pain on her face but that was to be expected with what had happened and where they were.

"Unfortunately the hate and pain comes with controlling the darkness." She said in an authoritative tone. Asajj reached her hand out to a tree. A snake came out from one of the branches. It slithered on to her outstretched arm. "You need to reach out and command the force. The animal must bend to your will. Feel the anger and hate for what the council did to you. What Barriss did to you."

The snake moved to get close to Asajj's face while trying to attack but froze. Asajj looked into its eyes and commanded it to stop. She let her hate of Dooku, the Jedi, and Savage flow through her and the snake obeyed her.

She then pushed more hatred into it and it thrashed around. "Hatred can be controlled and used against an enemy but too much of it and it will go out of control and cause death. The snake stopped moving and fell to the ground dead.

Ahsoka looked shocked the situation reminded her a lot of the time she was controlled by the son. She did feel hesitation to use such an ability. But at the same time she never wanted to be on the receiving end of such a thing in the future. If she was able to learn it and be able to counter such an ability it would help in the future. She knew this could be a dangerous and slippery slope but she trusted Asajj to pull her out if she went too far.

Asajj found another snake and had it around her arm. She held it toward Ahsoka. "Think about what makes you angry. Truly angry. The Jedi that expelled you from the order."

Ahsoka felt the emotions she had hid for so long. The feelings of betrayal she felt toward the council. She remembered Revan talk about allowing yourself to feel and deal with emotions without bottling them up. She let them loose. Not just the betrayal of the council as a whole but she knew that Obi-Wan and Plo Koon were both on that council. They had been some of her greatest mentors she looked up to. All the time she spent with Yoda helping with young-lings. The conversations she would have with Shaak Ti when she asked about her home when she was younger. Did it mean nothing to them!? She focused the feeling into the snake and it thrashed violently. She wasn't holding back. The power coursed through her. She suddenly pulled back. 'I feel hurt and betrayed. Pain from the Jedi turning on me, but I will not let it control me. I will not let it affect the new life I have.' Ahsoka focused her hate and pain on controlling the snake. She pushed her will onto it and it stopped thrashing and looked into her eyes. She had succeeded in controlling it.

"Good now kill it." Asajj said as if it meant nothing.

Ahsoka whipped her head toward Asajj. "What! I thought you wanted me to control the snake. Not kill it."

"Hesitation to kill is dangerous. That snake in front of you is dangerous and could kill you. If you weren't controlling the snake it would be trying to kill you. When you let that snake go it will hunt and kill many other animals. That snake is a predator and will kill the next person that can't control it. As a Jedi you are taught that life is sacred but the Jedi are selfish. They believe it is sacred but they are not willing to do what is necessary to protect others by taking life. Nute Gunray has been captured by the Jedi around 8 times throughout the war. Yet he escapes to lead armies to conquer more planets. The Jedi are more worried about their own souls. They are too afraid to taint themselves that they forget about people being slaughtered and enslaved by the people they are too afraid to kill. The Jedi are hypocrites." She said solemly.

"Is that why you went with Dooku?" asked Ahsoka.

Asajj glared at her. "Partly. My master fought raiders to protect farmers and got no help from the Jedi. They were too busy making deals with the trade federation to worry about the innocents being slaughtered. They became puppets used by the Republic for their own power. Your master is a perfect example." 

She smirked.

"Leave Anakin out of this!" Ahsoka shouted.

"Dooku was good at getting information like the fact that your master was a slave to the Hutts before he was freed. That he has had to turn around and use his training to help the Hutts who had enslaved him because they are protected by the Republic. The Jedi wish for peace yet protect slavers and murderers. Killing itself may never be a good thing but if it stops further suffering wouldn't the deaths of a handful of people save many?" Asajj reasoned out.

Ahsoka calmed herself back down. She knew she had killed before and that Asajj was right. She had fought against Deathwatch terrorists that attacked villages for fun of fighting. She had killed several of them and hadn't thought about it. She then thought of the time in Zygeria. Torgrutas taken into slavery for money and power. She felt the snake thrashing through the force. She felt the power through her hate and focused it. In control. Killing was a choice and a responsibility. The Jedi were right life was sacred but their way of fighting only protected themselves. The snake fell limp and died.

She felt arms encircle her and a familiar warmth bring her back to the present. "I'm sorry you had to do that." Ahsoka turned and saw the guilty look in her   
partner's eyes.

"It's alright. We need to learn more and trust each other. If we want to survive we need to be stronger and we are stronger together with both light and dark." She smiled a little. She felt the power she could control using the dark. "Both love and hate." She kissed Asajj softly before it turned more intense and passionate. The two gave into each other and opened themselves up and felt more trust and love than they ever felt before.

\---

The next morning Ahsoka woke up to an unusual warmth in her bed. She felt the arms slinking around her and remembered who it was. She had ended up in Asajj's room. It was weird that it was here on Dathomir, in the arms of a former Sith that she felt at home for the first time. She allowed herself to feel, to deal with her pain, her sorrow, and betrayal. With the Jedi and even with Anakin she never felt good enough. Like she was always be judged and never measured up because she didn't fit into their box of what they thought she should be like. Even at the temple growing up she was different from the others. She was always headstrong, fierce, and always asked questions. The teachers always disliked that. That was why they only brought in young children so they could be taught and told what is right from the beginning. She wasn't like that and it made her stand out.

Movement brought her out of her memories as Asajj snuggled further into Ahsoka's back. "Good morning." Ahsoka greeted her. All she got back was a mumbled response that was unintelligible. She had learned while traveling that Asajj was not a morning person. All she did was smile and enjoy the feel of the woman burrowing into her back. Yes this was home.

After spending the morning basking in each other's warmth and a quick replay of the past night's activities the two of them got out of bed and left the ship. They made a camp in a clearing on the planet to begin training. It had been awhile since either had dedicated time to train. They both also had new light-sabers to get acclimated too. All that is not even mentioning the books they got from Revan.

They worked on a schedule for training and decided that every morning after waking up they would go for a run or hike through the woods while scouting out and trapping food. Asajj insisted they kept in shape as speed and agility was both of their main points in fighting. After the run they would eat breakfast and spend the rest of the morning going through Revans books and exploring force abilities with both sides and test how emotions could affect them. They would do that until midday and they would stop to eat before practicing with their light-sabers. They would both spend the first half of the afternoon studying new moves and getting used to the feel of them before spending the second half dueling each other. Both were fairly matched as they were both masters of Jar'Kai (Dual bladed combat) already. When they broke off at the end of their duel they would eat before spending the rest of the night talking or going about other business. Ahsoka would call her family every few days to speak with them. She never mentioned what they were doing as she didn't want them to worry or be in danger themselves. Mostly though they would tell stories about their past and the war before going to bed.

Ahsoka enjoyed hearing the viewpoints from the separatist side of the war. While in war the Separatists did plenty of terrible things to enemy planets and fought harshly this was done to try to keep war and fighting away from their own planets. The representatives of the Separatist planets all just wanted to protect their people (or interests and money). It brought her back to the arguments with Lux. He was against the Republic because they were no different than the Separatists. When he tried to join Deathwatch to go after Dooku in revenge and she stopped him because of their actions. She knew she would still fight to protect innocents but she can't really fault him for those actions. He just wanted to do what was best for his planet like everyone else. They really were just two sides fighting a war that both wanted the same thing from. It was a huge shift in Ahsoka's world of good and bad.

Asajj on the other hand didn't have much change in ideology over training and stories. She always fought for herself and now she knew she would fight for the woman she fell asleep next to every night. What had changed for her was the way she felt and lived. She felt lighter and freer when she was with Ahsoka than before. Her entire life had always been dictated by revenge. Revenge against the raiders that killed her master. Revenge against the Jedi for abandoning him.   
Revenge against Dooku for betraying her. Revenge against Savage for his betrayal. Revenge against Grievous for the death of her sisters. For the first time in her life she had some happiness. She could give up revenge for her partnership and relationship with Ahsoka. It isn't worth the risk. For the first time she was living in the present and not the past.

The training the two underwent had very promising results. They worked on studying more forms of light-saber combat to help predict and counter future enemies while also trying to develop more surprise in their own style by combining others. Asajj combined her Jar'Kai with Makashi form of fighting. A dual bladed style focused on light-saber combat would be deadly and hopefully overwhelm anyone including Dooku in the future. (Just because revenge isn't a priority doesn't mean she gave it up. She didn't change that much.) Ahsoka had originally focused her abilities in form V Shien or Djem So version of blaster deflection. While she still could use that style it worked better with Jar'Kai with a short light-saber rather than two long light-sabers. She switched to combine Jar'Kai with Juyo or the seventh form. She had heard stories about the strength of Jedi Master Mace Windu and his version of Juyo called Vaapad. She hoped that as most Jedi and Sith stay away from this form and know next to nothing about it. It would be a huge advantage in combat as well as her ferocity and passion could be channeled into power behind strikes for the style she wishes to use. The two both were able to gain quite a bit of power and endurance through the continued practice.

They learned a few things when it came to the force over this time as well. There were many abilities focused with different emotions. One large ability that Ahsoka found that she was surprised the Jedi didn't study was the use of force for healing. There had been a large section to study about healing cuts and even internal wounds. The Jedi got so reliant on bacta healing that they neglected this which would be extremely useful in saving lives when separated from supplies. 

Ahsoka didn't become a master in this ability over such a short time but healing cuts and stopping soreness would allow for better movement.

They also found different variants of force lightning. While there was a force lightning that when channeling hate causes immense pain and damage, they found a study where Revan had channeled different emotions and found that when channeling protectiveness or a defensive mind set the lightning can target a person to numb their nerves and render them unconscious and unable to feel anything for a while rather than targeting the nerves to activate the pain receptors. They even read a case how a variant of force lightning fused with love could restart someone's heart.

Ahsoka and Asajj spent every night together getting closer and closer to each other. Every story, every secret, and every touch brought them trust and   
understanding. They both became strong, but they were stronger together.

After a month they got up one morning and Asajj had them packing up the camp.

"Where are we going?" Asked a tired Ahsoka that had been hiking for hours.

"You'll see." Said an annoyed Asajj who was getting tired of the same question over and over again. Sometimes Ahsoka really acted like a kid.

They finally reached a clearing after hiking through midday. There had been a lot of scaring and damage in the woods nearby and Ahsoka could see Asajj had grown tense. No words were said as she had taken her partner's hand to calm her. It looked like a fresh battle had been here. Ahsoka figured it must have been where Grievous attacked.

Ahsoka looked up and found a large mountain in her view. The mountain was the biggest she had seen so far and was red like the rest of the planet but what set it apart from the rest was that it had carvings in it. There were several women carved into its side. And while there was damage to it and a few pieces had broken off it still holds strong. On another side there was a single carving of a face. The mouth of the carving was the entrance to the inside of the mountain.

Asajj was returning home.


	8. Dathomir Pt. 2

Dark Disciple's Partner

7 months ago

The two of them walked into the entrance of the cavern. After passing between several pillars in the entrance they emerged into a large opening inside the mountain. Within it there was an entire village hewn out of rock. There was a soft glow from the pools of water that illuminated the buildings. They were carved so intricately that they looked as though they were there naturally. They were created by carving into stalagmites in the cave.

The entire village was empty and there were items strewn across the ground. Chaotic mess was all that was left from the battle that had once been a home. The entire village was steeped in darkness but not a darkness of evil, but more of a ferocious protectiveness. A fierce need to protect what is yours. The power here was used to protect family.

"What are we doing here Saj?" Ahsoka asked softly. She knew it would probably be tough for her partner being back here.

"The Nightsisters ritual for coming of age takes place here. I believe you are ready to complete it. Although it will be difficult. It is a way to test a connection with the force and become a Nightsister" Assaj replied. "When I did this I was a Sith. When I left I was Nightsister."

"What do I have to do?" Determination seeping through her voice. This was important and the reason they came here.

"You have to find the Sleeper. It is an old creature that has been around for ages. When you find the creature you need to use the force to dominate it and take a piece of its body. It is an ingredient in what will happen after the encounter."

"This does not sound like fun." Grumbled the Togruta.

Asajj chuckled a little at that. "No if you lose concentration for even a second it will eat you." She said with a little too much smiling. "Mother Talzin never told me what the success rate of this is but I am guessing a significant amount did not make it."

Ahsoka huffed a little but could sense the concern hidden under Asajj's snarky comments. "How do I find this sleeper?" She asked. Asajj just pointed over to a pool in the center of the village that they had been slowly walking towards. "It's in there?!" She wasn't very good with water. "This was why you focused so much on physical training over the last month isn't it?" She said suspiciously. Asajj had been particularly brutal in their morning workouts.

"Partly. It never hurts to be faster and stronger. Plus I have been enjoying the benefits of a better toned body and more stamina." She gave a lustful smirk to her bed mate.

"You are incorrigible." Ahsoka replied while still smiling. There was definitely a little pink showing up in her lekku. After all she had enjoyed that park too. "Do you have any advice that may increase my chances a little?" She asked hopefully.

"Only that you should try to bring it to you rather than going to it. From what I heard the Sleeper doesn't let anyone leave the water. Also I can't really give you advice on what it looks like because everyone sees something different." Asajj turned toward Ahsoka. "Whatever you see, do not lose focus, do not lose control. I don't want to lose you." She quickly turned away and left Ahsoka alone by the pool.

Ahsoka approached the pool of water and stood at the edge of it peering down. It felt ominous knowing there was such a creature here. She thought the Nightsisters must have been a crazy bunch to build a city around and ancient deadly creature that wanted to be left alone. She meditated through the force and felt the pool looking for the Sleeper. There were many organisms inside but none of them felt like more than a normal fish. Then suddenly she felt something strong, dark, and smart. It was smart. The creature was inert and must have been asleep. She needed it to come to her.

She pushed her will into the Sleeper and it woke quickly. It was alert and knew it was under attack instantly. If she wasn't the one fighting it she might admire the reflexes of such a being. She tried to command it to come to her. She used her hate and pain. She thought of Barriss who was her closest friend and confidant that used her. She pushed that hurt in the command.

Come!

The creature fought back and pushed at her. For a second she felt compelled to enter the pool. Then stopped herself. The creature was strong and fighting back. It wanted her in its home to its advantage and she would not give.

NO! COME HERE!

She commanded with confidence. She had to know she was right. She was stronger. Slowly she felt the Sleeper rise in the water. Finally when it broke the surface Ahsoka froze. She had no expectation it would look like this. It had large wings that spanned a dozen feet and talons. She did not expect this because of the fact it was supposed to be an underwater creature and not built for flying but it was more than that. The Sleeper was in the same form as the Son from Mortis. She realized that the reason Asajj couldn't tell her what it looked like was because it was personalized. She needed to keep control over the creature. If she didn't it would be just like Mortis. She would lose again and the Daughter and Anakin aren't there to save her this time.

She worked hard to control her emotions but it was strong and it rose out of the water and flapped its wings. It flew forward to attack Ahsoka. Ahsoka stood calmly in front of the beast and held out her hand.

Stop.

She thought it and pushed forward with confidence and force to make the Sleeper submit. She felt herself take complete control as the Sleeper stopped. How easy it would be to use this power to kill it. How easy it would be to force people to obey. But she also knew when to use it and not to. She could feel her training with Asajj and the teachings from Revan pull her back from the intoxicating pull of power.

She focused on the sleeper and she commanded it to sever its own talon and then mercy shall be given to it. She could feel the fear in the creature as well as its anger. It complied with her wish and handed over its own severed talon. Ahsoka forced the creature to retreat back into the pool and have it descend to where it could sleep once again. She could feel the anger coming from it and also understood it. The Sleeper only wished to return to its resting place and be left alone while it is repeatedly awoken for this ritual and have people mutilate it. It's a miracle it hasn't escaped and attacked the village.

Ahsoka found Asajj pacing back and forth a little ways away from the pool. "Hey" she said softly. Asajj froze and Ahsoka could see all the tension in the Dathomirian release. Ahsoka walked up to her and placed her arms around Asajj in comfort. Asajj sighed at the contact and leaned into Ahsoka.

"Now it is time for you to become a true Nightsister." Asajj led Ahsoka toward an altar they had passed on their way through the village.

"That wasn't the ritual?" Ahsoka asked a little nervous there was something else she had to do. The Sleeper was not exactly easy.

Asajj pointed toward the altar that had been filled with the water of life "Place it in there." She commanded.

Ahsoka understood right away. She grabbed the talon she got from the Sleeper and dropped it into the water. Asajj began chanting and a lot of smoky green energy swirled around the altar until Asajj pulled out something Ahsoka didn't expect to see but had wanted for a long time.

Asajj turned around and grinned. "Congratulations. You are now a Nightister." She said before handing over a plasma bow. It was like her light-sabers in the color scheme, the top of the bow was bone white while the bottom was black. In the middle was the sight and plasma storage area. When Ahsoka placed her had on the bow she felt a similar hum to her light-saber. The bow was hers. "To activate it you need to press the button on the side." She pointed near the grip.

Ahsoka did as instructed and a pink energy materialized as a bow string connecting the top and bottom of the bow. There was a grip in the middle of the energy and Ahsoka tentatively reached out and grabbed it. She started to pull it back and a plasma arrow materialized as the bow went taut. She released the bow and the arrow flew off and hit a house.

"We will need to work on you aim though." Asajj responded dryly. Ahsoka saw that Asajj was looking where they arrow hit with a small smirk until Ahsoka tackled her with a hug.

"Thank you! I saw your bow before and wanted to try it out and it just didn't seem right to ask such a thing from you. It seemed like something important to you and I didn't want to intrude, but now I have my own!" She hugged the bow to her torso giddily. She was extremely happy to have her own bow. She never liked blasters but a bow was a good long range weapon to have. Plus it wasn't like a blaster where anyone could pick it up and use it. Plus the hum coming from it does remind her of the resonance she has with her light-sabers.

She also enjoyed the large amount of pride Ahsoka saw in Asajj's eyes. That made it worth it. This bow in her hands marked her as a Nightsister, same as Asajj was. She would cherish such a connection with Asajj for a long time.

"It is only mid-day right now. I think instead of light-saber training we can work with the bow." Ahsoka's happiness drained away at the predatory look in Asajj's eyes. The physical training that Asajj had put her through was brutal. Since they did most of the light-saber training alone until a duel at the end of the day she had yet to experience a large training session with Asajj. She knew Asajj only did this because she was worried about her. Ever since Florrum she could see it sometimes in her actions and looks toward her. That didn't mean the subtle curtness she found in that worry outweighed the hell that would be bow training.

"Do we have to? I think I earned a day of rest with the whole going against the Sleeper thing. It was extremely tiring." She tried giving Asajj a pleading look. They never worked and it didn't seem to be making a difference now either.

Ahsoka grumbled as she got started on target practice. They spent all afternoon working on the different parts of the bow such as learning how to load, where to look through the sights, and the best way to find an anchor point to keep aiming consistent.

After practice they settled into one of the abandoned houses in the village and that night after the training Ahsoka's tired and worn body laid next to her partner with a smile. She had never felt happier.

The two spent another month on Dathomir continuing their training. Ahsoka spent a large amount of time working with her new bow to get it down. She spent her morning hikes hunting for food to keep both of them fed while training and simultaneously practicing hitting small moving targets.

They both did more practice with force lightning to try to find more things to do with it and also worked on catching and deflecting it. With the possibility of running into someone that uses force lightning it would a good defense. It was quite painful to try to practice that considering every time they failed they would get hit with lightning. Eventually they were able to get it right and Asajj hoped she could use it against Dooku sometime.

Ahsoka also worked on adding some new style into her fighting. She wanted to learn Trakata, an old style that is almost nonexistent now. It focuses on the activation and deactivation of light-sabers in combat. It helps with surprise attacks and getting past guards easier while surprising an opponent. It works really well with Jar'Kai as being able to keep one light-saber active to defend while deactivating the other to get past a guard could end fights quickly.

Studying of the texts that they got from Revan which was pretty interesting, was mostly about fighting and force abilities. Most of the theory the books talk about always talked about emotions and how they guide the force. What they learned from it was that Revan didn't use the force nor did he serve it. It was more like an aide to be used in conjunction with himself. The force is something that connects everyone but it is neutral and will help someone be better at being themselves. There was fancy code or grab for power. This got both of their attentions and spoke to both Asajj and Ahsoka. The meditation they did with the force was more about soul searching and getting through their own problems to understand themselves to be at peace than about trying to make contact with the force and do what it tells them.

While the studying, light-saber practice, and bow practice were time consuming they were still able to spend time together learning more about each other. They heard every little story or anecdote from each other.

\---

Present

Anakin sat in silence for a while. He was unsure how to think about what he had heard about his former Padawan's adventures. They had only covered 6 months of her missing time and he already learned that she became a bounty hunter, is in a relationship with a former Sith, studied dark side abilities, followed controversial teachings, and gone against everything he had been taught. And yet she seemed happier, stronger, and more unburdened than he had ever seen her before.

"Wow." Was all he could say.

"Are you angry?" She asked nervously. She wanted to have his approval. She didn't need it but even though it had been a year since they last saw each other, he was still the 2nd most important person in her life.

He smiled at her. "No Snips. I am not angry. It's just a lot to take in. So much of what you have told me was taught to me as being wrong yet it seems to do a lot of good." He was about to say more when the very woman Ahsoka was trying to get him to accept walked up to the two of them.

"Soka, I just got word from Sumdin." She said.

Anakin kept a wary eye on Ventress. He still didn't trust her enough but she did help Ahsoka. He noticed Ahsoka's eyes widen. "Does he know?"

Asajj nodded. "2 weeks." Was all she said.

Ahsoka turned to give a guilty look. "I got to go take care of this. We can talk later." She left with Asajj and it was probably better this way he had a few things to think about. He needed to process all this information.

\---

Anakin went back to the ship where Obi-Wan and Vos were.

"Good of you to finally show. I thought being late was my job." Commented Vos.

"What are you talking about?" Asked Anakin.

"We have to contact the council." Replied Obi-Wan.

Anakin had forgotten about that. He had lost track of time with Ahsoka. "Then let's get going. What are you waiting for?" He asked the two masters.

"You." Replied Obi-Wan dryly.

"Right." He said sheepishly.

They set up the call and suddenly their holograms appeared in the middle of the council room.

"Master Kenobi. What do you have to report for us? Did Ventress and Tano accept?" Asked Master Windu.

"They did." Obi-Wan confirmed with an expression that gave nothing away. "They had a few other stipulations and some talk of bonuses for other targets that may be around Dooku."

That made some of the council uncomfortable. They were paying someone to kill someone else and now they had to discuss price and logistics of possible other people dying.

"What about Tano? How did she seem?" Pushed Windu. Obi-Wan could see Master Plo Koon sit up a little.

"I do not know. She was a little cold to me but that is to be expected. I believe she still doesn't trust the council." He said with his head bowed a little. He didn't agree with her expulsion but there was no way for her to know that.

"What about Skywalker? You were her master did she say anything to you?" Asked Master Mundi

Obi-Wan sighed. He didn't want to be a part of assessing Ahsoka as a threat and there was no way involving Anakin would end well.

"About what?" Asked Skywalker.

"Did you learn anything about her? What she had been up to?" Asked Master Windu.

A little hesitantly spoke. He knew the council wanted something but he would never betray Ahsoka. "She mentioned a few jobs she and Ventress went on. Nothing to exciting. There was one job she mentioned having a run in with Savage Oppress a while ago." That got everyone to sit up. No one had any word about what happened to him. There had been no word from Savage or Maul and Mandalore was being surprisingly tight lipped considering that was the last place they were seen.

"Do you know where he is?" Asked Master Fisto.

"No. Her encounter was before they even got to Mandalore." He explained calmly. He could see Obi-Wan clenching his fist. Obi-Wan more than anyone wanted to know what happened at Mandalore.

"Hmm. Interesting this is. Here her stories you should. Important things we could learn from young Tano." Yoda spoke up for the first time.

"With all due respect master, she only told me this much because of her trust in me. Even then I can tell she is holding back. She doesn't trust me as much as she used to, and she doesn't trust the council at all. I won't learn anything she wants to keep secret." Anakin said finally and left the call. If he had known he was going to be used as a spy on Ahsoka he would have made sure to have something prepared. He would protect Ahsoka.

Back in the council chamber there was silence. "That boy still needs to learn manors." Said Master Windu.

"This is emotional for him. Having a Padawan leave the order is tough on a master. I saw it with Qui Gon before his death." Replied Obi-Wan.  
The rest of the council nodded in agreement.

Mace Windu spoke up again. "Master Obi-Wan. Are you any closer to finding out if she had anything to do with what happened 3 months ago?"

Obi-Wan was tired of the pushing of Windu. It was like he wanted to vilify Ahsoka. "No. But I don't think she was the one that did it."

"We will see. Keep trying to find out what she knows. Ahsoka is still the number one suspect in aiding the escape of Barriss Offee."

\---

Back to the room where Ahsoka and Asajj had been staying they were talking about what they learned.

"We know where Dooku will be in 2 weeks." Stated Ahsoka.

"Yes there is a party on Raxus for Separatists. He will make an appearance. If we can sneak in and get him and sneak out it should be easy. Especially with the 3 other Jedi. If we can get them to work on defense and help us get Dooku alone, then the two of us could take him." Asajj was smiling. She had waited a long time for this.

\---

Anakin was in his room alone doing a lot of thinking. There was so many things he disagreed with the council about. He disagreed with the code and the ideas behind it. He disliked some of the decisions they make and now was one of the first time he actually agreed with their actions and they are reluctant about it. But now they are using him to spy on Ahsoka. Someone they betrayed and hurt. They still act like its her fault.  
Between what Ahsoka said about Revan and his relationship with Padme he has to hide from the council, he sometimes wonders why he hasn't left as well.


	9. Meetings and More Meetings

Dark Disciple's Partner

Present

Anakin left his room again. He needed to speak to Ahsoka after the horrible meeting with the Jedi. Something was off and they were not telling him anything about it. He knew they always kept secrets from him but this was his padawan they were talking about. He wasn't sure what to do, but maybe if he spent more time talking to Ahsoka it could calm him down. He did want to know what else happened during her journey. He walked toward her and Asajj's room and heard the two exchanging excited words. "Finally! I can take him down!"

"Not just you. I will be there two." Came Ahsoka's firm reply.

Suddenly the door flew open and to Anakin's dismay the one standing in the doorway was the one he didn't really want to see. "What do you want Skywalker?" Asajj said curtly. She didn't have anything particular against the Jedi. In fact out of all the Jedi he was the one she probably liked the most since he helped Ahsoka during her time as a fugitive and probably the countless times he saved that reckless girls life. But that also made her wary of him because he was the biggest threat to take her away.

"I just wanted to talk to Ahsoka." He said just as kindly back. He knew he should try to be nicer to the one that took care of Ahsoka. Not that he thought she needed someone to take care of her but he was glad she wasn't alone but like Asajj he also thought that Asajj was biggest obstacle to getting her back.

"Play nice you two." Came said person's shout from the other room. Ahsoka came to the entry way to see her two favorite people in a stare off.

"Sure." Said Asajj as she walked back into the room allowing Anakin entry.

"Anyway we don't have time to talk." Said Ahsoka. "Asajj's informant has a location on Dooku. We will know where he is two weeks from now."

"That's good! We can possibly stop this war!" Anakin shouted. He had a renewed vigor.

"Well I wouldn't say that." Said Asajj. Anakin turned to look at the former Sith and also saw Ahsoka grimly nodding. Ahsoka and Asajj walked toward a living room where they sat down on a couch in the main room.

"What do you mean?" He asked cautiously.

"Dooku has a master he takes orders from. If Dooku dies he will just order Grievous around or find another apprentice. In fact from what I know the man is extremely smart and probably has a backup already picked out." She replied.

"Wait. Dooku is the Apprentice? The Jedi thought he was the master since he had you as an apprentice." He asked confused.

"Yes. Darth Maul had been Dooku's master's former apprentice. When everyone thought Obi-Wan killed him the Sith lord recruited Dooku away from the Jedi order during that time. Apparently Dooku was disillusioned with the Jedi after his old apprentice was killed. At least that is what I know." She said bitterly. She had figured out a while ago that this master was the one who ordered her death. It isn't a surprise considering Sith tend to kill their masters and take apprentices and Dooku taking on an apprentice should have been a hint. She had heard Dooku trying to come up with plans to kill his master.

"That is not good." Anakin's earlier good mood gone completely. If Dooku had a master then that Sith must be as powerful if not more than Yoda.

"But Dooku is an important piece in the Separatist army. If he is gone than the Republic can make big moves against the Separatists during the disarray. Dooku may have a master but the Separatists take orders from him. If he is gone it will help immensely. There may even be in fighting for power with him gone." Interjected Ahsoka. "We should probably tell the others about our lead." She added and led the two out the door before talk could get more depressing.

\---

They arrived in the same room they had the meeting in earlier. Obi-Wan, Vos, and Anakin sat on one side of the table with Ahsoka and Asajj on the other.

"So what are we doing back here?" Asked Vos.

"We have got information on Dooku. If you aren't so rude maybe we would tell you." Asajj replied harshly.

"That is good news." Said Obi-Wan completely ignoring Asajj's later comment. "Where will he be?"

Asajj looked away from Vos to Kenobi. "We have an informant who was able to get us invitations to a party for Separatists and Dooku will be there to make an appearance." Explained Asajj.

"We were able to get access codes to the planet and everything. The party takes place in two weeks." Added Ahsoka.

"Are we all able to get in?" Asked Obi-Wan.

"Me and Vos should be able to walk in the front door but Ahsoka would stick out like a sore thumb. She would have to sneak in with a disguise as it is well known Togruta do not side with Separatist's ideas especially after the whole slavery incident. As for Kenobi and Skywalker, you are too well known you will have to have a disguise or not be seen." Replied Asajj.

"But that's it." Ahsoka didn't want to leave her partner alone during the mission. "I can go in as a servant. If you tell people I am your servant that will be allowed. The Separatists tried to take the Togruta as slaves before. Who's to say there aren't a few out there?"

Asajj looked at her. She thought about it and she would also prefer it to have Ahsoka by her side. She didn't want Ahsoka to end up alone with Dooku and she still didn't trust the Jedi enough to be alone with one of them. "That could work." She said mulling it over. "The three of us will enter with the passes while you two enter with other disguises or as staff. No one at these kinds of events looks too close to the staff."

With that decided they spent more time working on the details of the plan by checking the plans with the layout of the location of the party. After the meeting got out Asajj went to clean weapons while Ahsoka waited for Anakin. Since he had wanted to talk some more.

"Want to go somewhere and talk some more than?" She asked as he left.

"I am going to have to apologize to your girlfriend for taking so much of your time from her." He joked.

"Don't worry about it. She understands besides I am the one keeping you from your wife. I hope Padme isn't too upset?" She smirked at his expression. "Did you really think I didn't know? We spent years sleeping in the same room and you talk in your sleep." She just kept laughing at his continued surprise.

He got out of his surprise "I guess I couldn't keep anything from Snips." Anakin replied ruefully. "Are you sure she is ok. She doesn't seem to like me." She had been cold to him while being more professional to the other two.

"Ah. Yeah that. She is a little bit worried about me going back to the Jedi. She thinks you might be able to get me to go back." She said.

"And can I?" He asked with a smirk.

"Nope!" She laughed. "I won't go back."

"I figured that out already." He replied sadly. "I was just hoping to hear a bit more about what you've been up to."

"You always did like hearing stories about adventures." She laughed. "I left off at Dathomir correct?" He nodded. "Well what comes next is quite a long story."

\---

6 months ago

At the end of the second month Ahsoka and Asajj had been talking about taking jobs again as their practice had worked well and they had made a lot of progress. That was until they received a call from their favorite pirate as a hologram of Hondo appeared in the room.

"Ahsoka! I am so happy to see you feeling well. My heart wouldn't be able to take it if you were killed helping little old me." He greeted in his normal over the top manner complete with hand gestures.

"Hondo. Good to see you too." Ahsoka replied with a role of her eyes. Of course Hondo took the compliment missing the sarcasm. "What do we owe this call to? Do you have another job for us?"

"Of course I do! A beautiful woman such as yourself got hurt protecting me so valiantly I thought I would repay the favor by giving you first option on a particular job." He exclaimed.

"And that is?" Asked Asajj flatly. She was still quite rude to others she didn't care for. Especially when they were here to interrupt her and Ahsoka.

"As a person in my position I tend to come across information and job offers quite often and have gained quite the reputation. One such offer was to get some revenge against the Shadow Collective. It seems they have made a big move and taken over Mandalore."

That brought up a few red flags. "He's working on building an army." Since Asajj was a Sith she understood his plans. Maul wanted revenge like her. He wanted to go against his old master and to do that he needed an army and the Mandalorians with the crime syndicates would be a good start. He and Savage are trying to become the true Sith.

"Yes, it seems that a woman by the name of Bo Katan wants help taking back Mandalore and needs help dealing with Maul and Savage. After those two are gone the crime syndicates would never work together. Business would go back to usual for me and Mandalore would be free from the Sith. She heard about the Shadow Collective coming after me and Savage being run off. She is looking for help at taking them out." He explained.

"I've heard of her. She was a part of the terrorist group known as Deathwatch." Ahsoka commented. She remembered the time she ran into them with Lux and she was there with Pre Viszla. "Does she want your help with putting Deathwatch in charge of Mandalore?" She didn't want to help stop Maul only to install terrorists into power.

"From what I have heard, Viszla was killed by Maul and she wants to free Duchess Satine. Maul is holding her hostage for some reason I can't think of. It is usually smart to kill the ruler when you take over a planet. It helps stop rebellions such as one like this. " He replied. Ahsoka knew right away what Maul was doing. Maul always wanted revenge against Obi-Wan and she knew the Duchess had a past with him. "She said she didn't want Jedi or Sith involved because Mandalore has always been independent and she didn't want to change that. She knew she needed someone who could stop the brothers and so that is why I came to you two! I thought who would be better than you guys for this job plus you would want some revenge as well I think."

Both force users looked at each other. After the last two months of training and getting new light-sabers they were sure they could take on the two Sith. Asajj wanted revenge against Savage for what he did to Ahsoka and Ahsoka wanted to help the Duchess. She remembered her from when she was last on Mandalore. She was a good person and she did want to help people. Plus she wanted a little revenge too. They both killed several Jedi and Asajj told her about Savage's betrayal. They both nodded to each other.

"We are on our way." Replied Asajj with a feral grin.

"Splendid! I can't wait till you return to Florrum!" He shouted then ended the call.

The two partners gathered everything up from their training on Dathomir and packed it onto their ship. They took off in their ship and Ahsoka couldn't help but be worried. While Savage was strong and dangerous he is a brute. Maul is a different story. He was smart and cunning and extremely skilled with a light-saber. He killed Obi-Wan's master and Obi-Wan was still wary of him. She may have trained hard and become stronger, she didn't know if she was Obi-Wan's level yet.  
When they arrived on Florrum the next day they were met by Hondo Immediately. "It is good to see you up and walking around." He hugged Ahsoka as if they were old friends. "And you got light-sabers! Good, good. We will need them if we are going up against such a strong enemy. We need to go back to the good old days where I could steal their cargo and make them blame each other!"

"You steal from the crime syndicates?" Asked Ahsoka.

"Yes crime will always occur no matter what but that is business! What these guys are doing flies in the face of that code! Leave the innocents alone and only fight against competitors for money. Now these guys are taking over planets! Preposterous." He was getting into this rant.

"And where does attacking young-lings fit into this?" Asked Ahsoka.

"That is just business as well. The Republic are not innocent and even though those young-lings are only twelve years old they will be commanders and generals in a few years. Not so innocent." He commented brazenly.

"Let's just go meet this Katan woman." Interjected an annoyed Asajj. She didn't want these two getting into an argument.

"Of course! Business always comes first." He led them into the building where his headquarters were on Florrum. They entered a room where Bo Katan and four other Mandalorians were waiting.

Bo Katan looked up at the sound of people entering the room and reached for her gun. She was not going to relax sitting in the den of pirates. When she saw Ahsoka she turned to Hondo "What is this Hondo! I said we didn't need the help of the Jedi. And then you bring a Jedi here anyway! If I wanted a Jedi I would have gone myself and at least would have Kenobi not an apprentice."

Ahsoka bristled at the insult. She had been a captor of Deathwatch and escaped all on her own. This woman was in no place to judge her.

"Calm down. That there is the beauty of it! Ahsoka is not a Jedi! Her and Ventress here." He gestured toward the other person everyone in the room seemed to have forgotten. "Are a bounty hunting duo of extreme skill. These two were the ones that helped me repel Savage Oppress and they didn't even have light-sabers then!"

Bo Katan looked over the two of them. She was a skilled warrior and could tell they both were strong and had experience just by their posture and placement in the room. Although she couldn't judge force abilities she knew she wouldn't be able to get better help outside of the Jedi or the Sith.

Ahsoka saw the way Katan looked her over. "I have met Duchess Satine before and she was a kind person. I would like to help free her. For the right price of course." Ahsoka caught the glare form her partner. She was so used to not needing money and trying to help people that she always forgot about asking for money. It's why she would let Asajj deal with this sort of thing.

"Both of us have experience fighting Savage Oppress and I don't believe he will be too much of a problem this time around. Last time we weren't armed and we stood our ground. Maul on the other hand is an unknown. While I did have a brief run in with him once I mostly fought Savage that time. You are correct that Obi-Wan may be a better choice as he has experience fighting both, but then Mandalore would have to declare themselves for the Republic." Asajj interjected making sure the meeting stayed professional.

"I would say you are right. While I don't know your skill or can judge force users I am a warrior. I have seen Savage and Maul fight and while Savage is skilled he relies on brute strength. Maul seems much more controlled and precise." Replied Bo Katan. She remembered seeing Ahsoka fight Pre-Vizsla and that ended in a draw. It could work.

"I will fight Maul." Ahsoka stated suddenly. Just when she saw Asajj about to argue she stopped her with her reasons. "As you say the both of us are even when it comes to fighting but I am faster and my style is more suited to combating Maul. You have much more experience fighting Savage and therefore can beat him easier than me." Just as Asajj was about to argue again she stopped it with a final point. "We do not know Maul's skill but Savage could have easily talk him all about your style. If he fights me we will both be going in blind." She added.

Asajj wanted to argue against it but she knew logically that Ahsoka was right and there was nothing she could say. "But we are going to need a plan to get to Maul and Savage while getting the Duchess."

The four of them spent most of the night going through plans and ideas to come up with a good one to use. They decided it would be best if they got the Duchess to safety before confronting Maul and Savage. It would be better for her to be out of danger during the attack rather than in danger since she does not like to fight.

They were ready to get the mission underway, but first they wanted to get some more help. Right now they only have a handful of Mandalorians, some pirates, and a couple of force users. Bo Katan decided she was going to try and hire some more bounty hunters to get some more people before returning to Mandalore.   
Ahsoka and Asajj decided to go on a trip as Bo Katan thought it would take her two weeks to gather the people needed. Ahsoka grabbed Asajj's hand and pulled her out the door before being stopped.

"Wait. Are you two together?" Katan seemed surprised.

Asajj was a little embarrassed as she was still not used to others seeing something like this and poking into her private life. "Yes what's it to you?" She asked rudely.

Katan just smiled. "Nothing I just thought…. Never mind. Congratulations."

Ahsoka and Asajj were confused by her reaction but that was forgotten when the fourth person in the room that everyone seemed to have forgotten about spoke up. "Really! We should have a party!" shouted Hondo.

Ahsoka just sighed and dragged Asajj off to her ship.

Present

"Wait a second what happened with Mandalore!?" Said Anakin.

"What do you mean? That comes later." Ahsoka asked confused. "I was going to mention our trip. You said you wanted to know what happened in order."

"But the order has been trying to figure out what happened on Mandalore and no one will say anything." He sounded exasperated.

"Well the order should learn to keep their noses out of things that don't pertain to them. We asked the Mandalorians to not say anything so they didn't. They are independent of the Republic so the Republic doesn't need to know." She replied hotly.

"Can you tell me?" He seemed almost desperate.

"But what about me and Asajj's trip? It was really fun. It had dangerous animals and a creepy old guy and everything!" she threw her arms up in resignation. "Fine I will tell you about it later."

"We arrived back on Florrum two weeks later…"


	10. Florrum Pt. 1

Dark Disciple's Partner

5 ½ months ago

Asajj and Ahsoka arrived back on Florrum. There was some nerves as this was going to be the toughest job they have ever faced. Ahsoka has never gone after a Sith without an army as back up or Anakin to fall back on and Asajj was the same except she had the Nightsisters. Now it will be the two of them. While they have some back up, none of them are the kind you trust with your life.

They exited their ship and were met with a Weequay pirate that led them to the meeting room. On the way they noticed several ships that had not been there previously and Ahsoka was admiring them when she heard Asajj swear under her breath. She turned to her partner.

"Whats wrong?" She didn't want this to go sideways as she was already nervous enough as it is.

Asajj pointed to a ship to her immediate left and Ahsoka not noticing anything off about it gave Asajj a confused tilt of her head.  
Asajj sighed. "That's the Slave I. It is Boba Fett's ship." Was all she said.

"Oh." Ahsoka remembered Asajj telling her about the job where they had worked together and she had tied him up and left him to replace some huge sleemo's bride. "I'm sure it will be fine." Ahsoka waved off her concerns as they continued on. Of course she was not as confident about it as she let on. Boba has a known hatred for all things Jedi and is definitely one for revenge. Although she is on board with his dislike of Windu. She shared that opinion.

They walked into the meeting room where Bo Katan was working on explaining the goal to all the bounty hunters that had been gathered. The room was full of round tables that had four people sitting around them.

It of course was Boba Fett who spoke up when she finished. "You want us to team up with a handful of Mandalorians to go against an army of them plus two Sith? We risk our lives and livelihood on this job. The Hutts, Black Sun, and Pikes are the people that supply most of the contracts that we bounty hunters take. If we do this job, even if we survive and win, we could lose much more in the long run." He yelled irritated. "Not only that we are supposed to go against Sith when your people couldn't?!" He was really worked up now. He may hot like Dooku but he knew the power of Sith and was not stupid.

Bo Katan sat calmly listening to his rant and was about to reply when she noticed the very two people she had been waiting for showed up. She looked at them and smirked. "That's what those two are for."

All heads in the room turned toward them and Ahsoka felt a little uncomfortable while Asajj just stared right back at them.

"Oh hell no!" That was definitely Boba shouting.

Ahsoka leaned over and whispered into her partner's ear "So maybe he isn't over it." Asajj snickered.

Asajj was ready to reply to Boba when she was interrupted by a gravelly voice coming from their left. Both turned to find someone they wished they hadn't.

"Well, well, well. The little Padawan wants to play with us bounty hunters. Does Skywalker know you are out past your curfew?"

"Bane." Ahsoka said in such a cold voice Asajj almost didn't recognize her.

The blue skinned bounty hunter sat relaxed in the corner with his hat tilted down while chewing on his tooth pick. He was still smirking at her and it infuriated Ahsoka to no end. This was the man who was going to kidnap children and sell them to Dooku.

"I heard you got yourself kicked out of the Jedi order, but I never though you would end up here with us lowlifes." He looked at her inquisitively.

"People change." She said impassively.

"Do you really think you could defeat a Sith? Even two of them? Ahsoka here is a failed Padawan that couldn't defeat me." He stated.

Ahsoka smirked at Bane. He underestimated her. She liked the idea of being underestimated much more than before where it felt like people were just calling her a child. Now she sees the difference because she was a child then. Not anymore.

"Don't worry about it. That's our job." She said stoically.

Bane raised his eyebrow in response. "We will see." He stood up and walked out of the room followed quickly by Boba who was still sneering at Asajj. Boba was followed out by his crew which consisted of Embo wearing his signature metal hat and his dog as well has a tall robot.

"I guess we will pick this back up tomorrow." Said Katan. The other 10 bounty hunters in the room got up grumbling and left the room back to their ships or to the bar to get a drink after seeing what they were signing up for. Out of those 10 the only bounty hunter the two recognized was the Trandosian, Bossk.  
The two of them were about to leave the room after that uncomfortable meeting when they heard a voice that could possibly make it more uncomfortable.

"Ahsoka." The two looked to the other side of the room where unnoticed sitting in the corner were two familiar faces.

"Kriff." Muttered the Togruta when she saw them. It was Lux Bonteri and Saw Gerrera.

Lux and Saw got up from their spots and walked over to the two bounty hunter partners. There was an awkward silence when they met where they just looked to each other.

"So…. How have you been?" Ahsoka broke the silence as nonchalantly as possible. Which was pretty obvious due to Asajj's eye roll.

"What are you doing here?" He said a little too harshly toward the Togruta and receiving a glare from the former Sith.

A little taken aback by his attitude she hesitates a little before responding. "Taking a job." She said slowly as if it should have been obvious and he was an idiot for asking. She was just confused by the way this conversation was going since she had hoped for a bit of a better reunion.

Asajj was ready to pounce on the idiot. She already didn't like him based on Ahsoka's stories. Asajj knew Ahsoka had seen him through her naïve eyes at the time. But now the way he was acting was showing Ahsoka the truth. She would have been happy seeing the veil being pushed away if he wasn't treating Ahsoka unkindly.

"You were the one who told me to stay away from Deathwatch because they were a bunch of terrorists and now I find you with them after being missing all this time!" He yelled at them suddenly. Asajj didn't like the way it seemed like he was more upset that Ahsoka hadn't contacted him and didn't know where she was.  
"Not only that but you show up here with Ventress!" He continued.

Ahsoka was shocked at the reaction of her old friend. She didn't understand how he didn't see the difference between the two instances. "These people here are fighting to try and take back a planet from a Sith. They aren't burning down villages and killing innocents in the name of revenge. It's like I said before. People change." With that harsh rebuke she spun on her heels and stormed off.

Asajj glared at Lux and followed Ahsoka out the door speeding up trying to catch up to her partner. "What was that?" She asked when she did catch up. She was not jealous of the little senator. She was just surprised by how big of a reaction he elicited out of Ahsoka.

Ahsoka sighed roughly and slowed to a normal walking pace back to their ship. She was annoyed by everything that happened too.

"He just pisses me off! He sat there in the same spot I was. He showed up to aid Deathwatch on their assault and he wants to judge me for doing the same thing as him! Not only that the way he was treating you was unacceptable." She huffed and crossed her arms and then proceeded to pout. Far too innocent of a look for a bounty hunter but extremely normal look for Ahsoka.

Asajj laid her hand on Ahsoka's arm to calm her down. "No. That isn't what you are angry about." Ahsoka shot her a glare. "Well not completely what you are angry about." She conceded. "You forget that I know you very well."

Ahsoka's shoulders slumped after being read so easily by Asajj. "I was surprised and caught off guard." She admitted while walking up the ramp to their ship as they had returned.

Asajj followed her up. "And?" She asked expectantly.

Ahsoka shrugged and let out an exasperated sigh. She walked into their lounge area where they kept their books from Revan. She collapsed down on a sofa and waited for Asajj to join her before answering.

"Lux is the first person I have come across since leaving the Jedi Order and teaming up with you. Not counting Hondo or Bo Katan. Those two may have known me before but we weren't really friends or allies then. I didn't think about making friends with some of my former enemies but If Lux's reaction was the reaction of my first former ally, then I don't know if I could handle it if everyone reacted the same." She finished softly.

"Are you worried about how the Jedi will react?" She asked softly. No matter what the two of them had gone through, Asajj would always be worried about Ahsoka wanting to go back to the Jedi.

"No. Not all of them. I don't care what the council thinks." She said coldly before sadness settled in again. "I don't want Anakin or the others to see me as the bad guy. I don't think I could handle being looked at the same way they looked at Barriss. Obi-Wan, Plo Koon, Anakin, or the Padawan's from the gathering." She was close to tears now as she leaned into Asajj silently asking for support.

"I over reacted didn't I?" Ahsoka asked after a moment.

"A little." Asajj replied.

"I should apologize tomorrow."

"Why?" Asajj asked. "You may have over reacted a little, but he questioned your choices and insulted me. If you have no regrets about what you've done. About who you are. Then all you did was defend yourself. You have no reason to apologize." She explained.

Ahsoka just nodded. The two of them both had started down this path together and swore to stand by each other. They were not going to turn back now. If Lux disagrees with her then he is a hypocrite. If she ends up in an argument with a Jedi it may hurt feelings and it may be hard, but so be it.

\---

The two of them work up the next day and spent some time on meditation after the stresses of the night before they wanted to be calm before the meeting that was occurring today. They knew their patience would likely be tested by either Boba, Lux, or Bane. Not to mention Hondo was there and he has a way of testing ones patience.

The two of them finished their meditation and left toward the meeting room. When they arrived they found the bounty hunters and pirates to be mostly recovering from hangovers, except Bane and Boba.

The Mandalorians still seemed anxious. It was their home world on the line. Lux and Saw were calm sitting at the same table as before. The two force users chose to sit among some of the no-name bounty hunters on the other side of the room.

With the final stragglers finished arriving completing the group. Bo Katan got up to the front of the room and got everyone's attention.

"Thank you for coming and helping us take back Mandalore." She started nervously.

"We are getting paid lady! Just get on with it!" yelled a hungover annoyed human bounty hunter. If Ahsoka remembered correctly from the day before his name was Beckett. His comment through Katan off a little but she sneered at the man and continued on.

"Anyway, as I was saying, we will go in with a three prong attack. The Firs group will work as a diversionary force. That group will be led by Hondo with all of his pirates. Boba Fett and his group of bounty hunters will aid them. Their job will be to attack the hangers belonging to the other crime syndicates. This is where the pirates will be able to loot goods and stage it as an attack between criminals and divert the attention of the Shadow Collective while not really getting Maul or Savage interested in it. This will keep those forces away from the other two groups that are the real attacks. Of those one group will be led by Ahsoka with a few Mandalorians headed by Ursa Wren. This group will infiltrate the prison to rescue the Duchess." She stated gesturing to the other female Mandalorian in the room. "They will be joined by Cad Bane." Ahsoka looked over to the bounty hunter who tipped his hat at her and smirked. "Ahsoka, You are a part of this group as it is thought to be the one most likely to end up facing Maul as he wants to Keep Duchess Satine secure. I am sure you are aware of way?" Katan asked.

Ahsoka was surprised that Katan was aware of the connection between Kenobi and Satine. It was not well known and she and Anakin only know a little about it. She just nodded at the Mandalorian who continued with the plan.

"The third group will have Asajj Ventress and myself leading it with the rest of the Mandalorians with Lux Bonteri and Saw Gerrera. This group will be a part of an assault on the palace."

With that everyone broke up into their groups to discuss the individual plans for completing their tasks.

Ahsoka and Ursa Wren worked well together planning entry into the prison. It was made easy as they had the plans for the building and it was easy with their experience. Ahsoka liked Ursa Wren. She seemed to be a non-nonsense leader and her presence commanded respect. Even Cad Bane listened to her. When they finished up their plan Cad Bane left while Ahsoka stayed to spend some time to talk to Ursa. The group with Asajj had more people in it which translated to them taking more time working on a plan.

The two of them had been talking about themselves for a little while and Ahsoka had learned a lot about her. She was the leader of her own clan on Mandalore. She had worked hard to take care of her family and surprisingly her husband was artist. Apparently he had embraced peace. She also had two children as well. The youngest was her two year old daughter Sabine. Finally Ahsoka had a question that had been on Ahsoka's mind for a long time and she found this time alone with Ursa Wren.

"Hey Wren, why do Mandalorians dislike the Jedi so much?" With that sudden question it had Wren pause.

"There are many reasons but considering you decided to leave them yourself I guess you probably understand some of their problems." She stated wryly.

"That's true, but most of my problems with the Jedi are personal. I just want to know how people who aren't personally connected to the Jedi have such a dislike of them as a whole." She asked.

"That makes sense." Wren leaned back and stared off into space thinking about her answer. "You lived as a Jedi and have that point of view ingrained in you. How the Jedi see the galaxy. Then you have Ventress, a former Sith who was an enemy of the Jedi. They have an opposing view of the galaxy. Those two are enemies always fighting but you don't understand how this affects others that are neutral." She paused. "The members of Deathwatch may have done some things that I don't agree with but the ideas we have are correct. The Mandalorians are proud warriors and while I respect that honor I do not wish to fight just to fight. I have a family to protect and needless war would risk that. I do agree with Satine about not signing up with the Republic or the Separatists, but she wishes to be pacifistic to the point where our enemies could walk all over us. It was that reason why we had issues with black market smuggling and she had to call the Jedi to help with something as minor as an inner government problem."

"What does this have to do with the question?" Ahsoka cut in.

Wren laughed a little. "I am just giving you a little background on Mandalore. For Mandalore the best warrior with great deeds is made leader of the planet. In the past the honor is usually fought over by the clan heads to represent them all. This idea and structure has always been an important part of our culture. Fighting has always been a show of power and superiority over other clans. That was until the Mandalorian Wars. The Mandalorians may not have been good people but they always have fought honorably. In the war the Mandalorians were defeated by Revan, not the Jedi. Revan fought a war against us and was seen as a great warrior. Yet after this war was done Revan was considered an outcast and the Mandalorians were seen as evil by the galaxy. An idea perpetrated by the Jedi and the entire galaxy looks to the Jedi for them to decide what is good and bad. The Jedi and Republic came into our planet and told us our way of life and culture was wrong and evil. They forever watched us and stepped in to stop us when we did what they considered wrong forever changing and altering our culture. Yet the Jedi do it continuously for all planets. They go to every planet and try to tell them how to live and how they are wrong with their ideas. It is like a galaxy wide forced conversation to the Republic. They use the senate as a backing to perpetrate their ideas and beliefs on the entire Republic, and as they are the main military force that the Republic relies on, the allied planets are afraid to go against it. It isn't even about trade alliances or politics. The Jedi try to change races of people to be more like them. Yet they do this by conquering and fighting until the planet joins them. If you look across history, every war that has raged across the galaxy, every fight where millions or billions have died, the Jedi are there leading the charge forcing their ideas and culture on others. So the answer to your question is that the Mandalorians believe that the Jedi are hypocritical group force their ideas on others with force while also condemning others ideas. The Mandalorians were seen as beneath them for doing the same thing and have been restrained for millennia for it."

"But the Jedi are just trying to help." Ahsoka interrupted. "They try to save lives."

"The Jedi start the problems in the first place. Do you know how many people have died during the clone wars?" Wren asked harshly.

"Millions. But The Separatists are the ones attacking and conquering!" She defended.

"Really?" She asked with a dangerous smirk that scared Ahsoka a little more than it should have. "The Jedi started the Clone Wars. They are the ones that invaded Geonosis. A group of independent planetary leaders were meeting to discuss agreements and alliances with each other as they were not a part of the Republic. Yet with the sole reason being that one of these leaders was The Count of Sorreno, who happened to be a Sith, the Jedi decided to invade the planet on their own with a secret army that had been prepared years in advance. The Jedi did not ask the Senate to declare war or anything. The Jedi started it on their own and dragged the Republic with them. Did Dooku or any of the other leaders do anything to warrant such a full scale invasion?" She finished her final points leaving a thoroughly perplexed Ahsoka who just had her world shattered.

Ahsoka thought through everything the Mandalorian said and could not find a single lie. She remembered how the council looked at her after they labeled her as scum. They would not be swayed by anyone else as they were assured that their decision was right and there could be no escape.

"It's the same anywhere you go. The Republic encroaching on culture and traditional ideas of every planet. I am sure you have seen it on Shili. The Togruta were nomads that lived with nature as predators. Then the Republic came and now the Togruta have cities and mostly trade. Besides the traditional Akul hunt there are very few hunters among them left." She finishes before leaving.

Asajj found Ahsoka sitting at the table staring off into space quietly with a blank expression. "What happened?" She asked her partner concerned.

Ahsoka turned to look at Asajj and she seemed lost. "What is the point of it all?" She asked in a defeated tone.

Asajj's eyebrows rose in surprise. She decided to lead her back to the ship to find out what happened to shake her so thoroughly.


	11. Florrum Pt. 2 Mandalore Pt. 1

Dark Disciples Partner

Ahsoka sulked all the way back to their ship in silence after the meeting. Asajj followed her all the way and give Ahsoka her space but she soon realized that a silent Ahsoka seemed to annoy her more than a talkative one.

"Do you want to talk about what happened back there?" The Dathomirian prodded.

Ahsoka stayed silent for a while "How could I be so blind?" She suddenly asked quietly.

"Well I think you are going to have to be a bit more specific about what you are talking about." Asajj asked back.

The two of them entered the ship in silence and walked into their room. When they laid down to go to bed Ahsoka chose to tell Asajj everything Ursa Wren had said. Asajj was surprised about what Wren had said about the Jedi. While Asajj agreed some of it other parts of the Mandalorian's views seemed a bit stretched and biased. On the other hand, the Mandalorian's have a longer history of dealing with disliking the Jedi than she did.

"You are not blind Soka." Asajj said softly while taking the Torgruta into her arms to try and comfort her. "It's the same with a Sith. Everyone will always believe they are right and others are wrong. That they are the good guys and whoever disagrees must be bad. There are thousands of planets with so many different forms of life and billions of people on each of those planets. And I have visited many of them. What I have learned is that everyone is selfish in some way or the other. If its not fighting for their own gain it is for their families and friends or if they are really nice its for their planet, but no matter what there is no way that many people can agree on anything. Everyone will have their own ideas on how things should be done and argue for it. That is all the senate is, people arguing for their planet." She trailed off slowly trying to gage Ahsoka's reaction.

Ahsoka sat thoughtful for a while, thinking over her partners words. "I spent my whole life at the temple. I never even thought about the Jedi being wrong." She paused. "When I didn't fit in with the others or questioned things, I was always wondering what was wrong. Why was I different?"  
Asajj held Ahsoka a little tighter. She always had suspicions that Ahsoka seemed to take everything to easily. Ahsoka had always seemed to calm about leaving the order. "Just find what you believe. Stop listening to others and look at the Jedi's actions and make your own conclusions. Like I said everyone has their own views and ideas and goals about how the universe should work." She replied. "When I was with Dooku I always did as he asked. I wanted to please him but after leaving I needed to stop worrying about others and what they want and do what I want. What I believe in." She finished.

"When did you get so wise?" Asked the former Jedi.

"I failed too many times." Asajj replied simply.

"Thank you." Ahsoka said.

And with that the two fell into companionable silence as they drifted off to sleep.

The next morning the two woke up and work on lightsaber training and trying to make their forms a little bit better. Neither of them felt like going out and mingling with any of the bounty hunters and they wanted to make sure their fighting forms were in top shape if they were going to face off against Savage and Maul. This would be their biggest test since their partnership started.

It was approaching evening when they were in the middle of a duel. Ahsoka brought both of her lightsabers down and in overhead strike and Asajj batted them to the side. She was about to counter the attack with and upwards diagonal slash when they heard a pounding on the door to their ships cargo entrance. The two of them froze in their movements with concerned expressions. They both deactivated their lightsabers wondering who it would be. They moved up to a screen in the cockpit which had access to some cameras on the ship to see who it was that was interrupting them.

The good news was that they were not surrounded by bounty hunters looking to capture them or there were no Sith out there looking to take their heads. The downside though was that it was Lux Bonteri who Ashoka didn't really feel like talking to at the moment.

"Do you want me to talk to him?" Asajj asked sarcastically with an arched brow while fingering her lightsaber hilts.

Ahsoka scrunched up her face in response. "He is a nuisance. I don't really want to deal with him but he will keep coming back until I do." She sighed in resignation and moved to the entrance of the cargo hold.

When Ahsoka opened the door to the senator she knew that she wished she hadn't and that she had ignored the knocking and continued training.  
He was there by himself with a look somewhere between determination and looking like a lost puppy. It was weird how put off she was by the same look that would have had her drooling before.

"Ahsoka. How have you been? I haven't seen you since your trial." Lux greeted.

"I've been good. Mostly just bounty hunting with Asajj since I left the order." She replied a little annoyed about bringing up the trial but also trying to bring out a confrontation. One way or another it would happen and it would be best to get it out of the way rather than dance around the issue. Besides, she wanted to get back to training.

"I can see that." He commented with a frown. "I thought that you would have gone back to the Jedi?" He probed.

"I thought about it but after handing me over to the republic to be executed without any evidence, I couldn't return after that." She explained. She hated going over this all the time. The memories of the betrayal still hurt.

He nodded in understanding. "I would have offered you a place on Onderran." He pushed. "It is still available if you want."

Ahsoka had seen that offer coming. It the reason she didn't ask she didn't want to be a pity case. She knew she had friends that would have helped her. Although if she had gone that route she would have gone to Padme or Riyo.

"What would I have done on Onderran?" She asked knowing where this was going.

"You wouldn't have had to do anything. You could have lived in my palace and want for nothing." He said emphatically. He radiated smugness after his offer. He thought everyone wanted to live in ease and luxury.

She saw what he thought and the offer made her feel sad that she would have fallen for that before. She had a crush on him at one point and had been with him for a short time.

"It seems you don't really know me at all. I can't sit still at some palace doing nothing. I am not some helpless woman to be doted on!" She fired back fiercely.

"If you want something to do you could be apart of my royal guard!" He smiled.

"I hate guard duty. As a Jedi I would be assigned to guard duty during assassination attempts, and even then I didn't like them and that was the most exciting part of guard duty!" She shouted exasperated with this conversation.

"You'd rather go off with that.. that bitch than live in a palace with me! You could be a queen!" He shouted at her.

Ahsoka just sighed in response. "Yes. I like going on jobs with Asajj. It is who I am. I need to be out fighting and helping people. Catching bounties and protecting farmers is what I do now. It is similar to what I did as a Jedi except now I get to pick what I do. I get to choose whatever missions instead of being some weapon pointed at and enemy for someone else to claim victory and reap the rewards. A job like we are on now is a perfect example. If the Republic helped, they wouldn't ask for money they would ask Mandalore to become part of the Republic. I bet they already know what happened and won't let the Jedi do anything about it!" she said fiercely. "The Republic may be the lesser of two evils but I would rather not compromise myself."

With that she slammed the door closed in his face and stomped past an amused Asajj.

"So that is your ex? At least I don't need to worry about competing." She snarked. Ahsoka just grunted while she went back to training releasing her anger.

\---

Present

"I never liked Lux. I knew there was something going on between you two but I couldn't really judge you considering everything with Padme." Anakin confessed.  
"What do you mean?" She asked curiously. The two of them were still walking in the streets of Pantora.

"He just had this attitude like he was above everyone else. He hid it around you which made me dislike him more." Her former master confessed.

"Well that would have been nice to know." She grumbled.

"But Asajj is good for you?" He asked part skeptical part hopeful. He truly wanted her to be happy.

Ahsoka smiled in response. "Yes. The last year has been pretty great."

"Then I will stop pestering you about coming back to the Jedi." He admitted. Before smirking again. "That doesn't mean that I will not hope you will come back or that you will always have a place to return if you wish it Snips."

"Thanks Skyguy." She said happily. She knew she wouldn't return, but it was nice to know someone had her back and she was wanted.

The two talked a little more about their lives before returning back to the hotel.

She was greeted by a rare smile from Asajj when she entered her room. "So where are the bodies I need to hide." With a corresponding smile.

"What are you talking about?" Asajj asked confused by her partner's question.

"You have your 'I just killed someone' smile." Ahsoka snarked back.

Asajj got up from the couch where she had been sitting with a predatory smile. "Not yet." She walked to where Ahsoka was in the entry way before holding up an envelope. "I got invitations to the party. We are actually going to be doing this." Asajj said excitedly.

Ahsoka pulled her into a kiss with a smile. She knew how long Saj had been waiting to get Dooku. "Just be careful. I want Dooku gone as much as you, but I would rather have you here with me." She whispered into her ear after separating.

"I know Ahsoka. I have lost much going after Dooku. I refuse to lose what we have now." Asajj responded.

The two of them talked the rest of the night before going to sleep.

The next day she met with Anakin in a café to find that Obi Wan was there as well. "So, I take it Anakin spilt the beans about Mandalore?"

"Sorry." He said sort of apologetic.

"I just want to know what happened." Obi Wan said tiredly. "I want to know how Satine died."

Ahsoka sighed. "I will tell you if you don't tell anyone else in the order. I was asked to keep it a secret."

"Agreed." Obi Wan responded.

\---

5 months earlier

It was a week after the confrontation with Lux when the plan went into action. Asajj got onto the ship with Bo Katan for their part of the attack. Ahsoka was confident that it would be fine, she was more worried about Asajj killing Lux. Which wouldn't be the worst thing.

Ahsoka flew Asajj's ship with Cad Bane and Ursa Wren on board. The problem that Ahsoka had issues with was all the talking coming from the bounty hunter. He always got on Ahsoka's nerves and spending this time without Asajj was weird for her already putting her on edge.

"Does he ever shut up." Commented the warrior sitting next to her.

"I think it is worse now that we are working together, before I could at least try to kill him." Ahsoka whispered back.

"We could just do it anyway. No one needs to know." Wren whispered back conspiring.

They shared a laugh before shutting the door cutting off the noise from the bounty hunter.

"We will be landing at the Wren compound." The Mandalorian explained. "I trust everyone in the clan but we should keep your exposure to other people to a minimum in case there are spies around. Also I don't want Bane killing any of my men." Sending him a pointed look. "We will land at night."

Ahsoka decided to interject in between the two of them. "Then afterwards we go to the prison and sneak in during the distraction at the shipping port. With the crime syndicates running around the guards will be looking elsewhere."

They arrived at the clan compound a few hours later. They landed outside in the woods to hide their ship and snuck in through a side entrance. They used the darkness to sneak to Ursa's house. The guards at the front door didn't even react as they went through the entrance to the building.

The three of them walked into the living room to find an older man with brown hair and a goatee holding a young girl there. From what Ahsoka remembered the girl must have been Sabine.

"Ursa!" The man said softly before rushing across the room toward her. It had been awhile since they've seen each other and with the occupation of the planet both had worried about the other immensely.

The two of them moved to the other side of the room away from Ahsoka and Cad Bane to talk to each other quietly to not be overheard.

"Well isn't this touching." Bane said in his sarcastically grating voice while chewing on a tooth pick.

"Hush. Just because you don't have a heart doesn't mean that others don't." Ahsoka spit back harshly. She would have rather been with Hondo than Bane at this point.

She was brought out of her musing by a small tug on her leg. She looked down to find the little girl Sabine had wandered over to her after being put down by her father. The parents hadn't noticed her moving as they were engrossed in their conversation. Sabine raised her arms up at Ahsoka with an expectant look on her face.

"You want me to pick you up?" She asked. The girl responded with a serious nod. "Alright then." She leaned down and picked the girl up and held her in her arms.

Ahsoka cooed at her while the little girl giggled in her arms. Ahsoka found her to be extremely cute and was so caught up in the moment that she hadn't noticed the parents of said girl had stopped their conversation until she had heard a gasp.

She turned to see the two parents staring at her in shock with their mouths open. "Oh sorry." Ahsoka said suddenly realizing it was stepping over some serious boundaries to pick up someone else's kid without asking for permission. "I will put her down."

"No!" Both parents shouted. Ahsoka paused, shocked by the sudden outburst. It was Ursa who continued. "Sabine just never lets anyone hold her. She even stays away from the guards who she has been around for two years. We are just surprised to see her go to you so willingly."

Ahsoka just nodded while turning her attention back to the girl in her arms. "I wonder why she thinks me so special?" Before an idea sprung in her mind but she kept quiet.

That was when 5 men in Mandalorian armor entered the room.

"These are the men that will be joining us on the mission." Ursa told the other two. "If we want to make it to the prison in time for the plan we will need to leave soon."

Ahsoka handed off Sabine to her father before exiting the building with the others. One of the guards had brought a speeder they would be taking to the capital.

\---

Present

"… and that is all I have time for now. We need to go get ready for the mission to get Dooku." Ahsoka stopped abruptly.

The two Jedi noticed it had gotten late.

The group of 3 went back to their rooms to work on the plans for the upcoming mission.


	12. Mandalore Pt 2

Dark Disciple's Partner

Ahsoka was gathering her and Asajj's gear from their hotel room so they would leave for their mission. They were leaving Pantora today and the group of five force users had spent the last couple of days working on the plans for the attack on Dooku. Ahsoka was nervous about the mission for many reasons and Asajj was able to notice this from her not so subtle pacing across the room.

"Soka, what's wrong? We have been doing jobs like this for a while." Asajj tried to reassure her partner and calm her down.

"What?!" It had the opposite effect. "We've been sneaking into private Separatist events to go after Dooku while most likely encountering Grievous and various other deadly robot guards?" She asked sarcastically.

"Maybe not this exactly." Asajj conceded "But we have 3 powerful Jedi with us this time for our back up." She tried reassuring her again only to see her partner flinch a little. "That's the part you are worried about isn't it?"

Ahsoka stopped pacing around and sat down on the couch next to Asajj and let out a sigh.

"It is my problem. If the Jedi are going to go out to assassinate Dooku this time then what is to say that we aren't next. We have gotten much stronger recently. When we fight it will be obvious if we beat people like Dooku and Grievous then we will be showing the Jedi that we are better than the people they saw as a threat. How do we know we aren't next?" She finished.

"We don't." Asajj said bluntly from next to her. Asajj put her arm around Ahsoka and pulled her into her side and Ahsoka went with it laying her head on the former Sith's shoulder. "But it would be worse if we didn't do this mission. If the Jedi came here and found us working together and they offered us a mission to go after Dooku, which is well known that I have done several times in the past, and we turned it down, then the Jedi would be worried that we were aiding the Sith. This way we establish ourselves against the Separatist, while getting revenge against Dooku, and show we are willing to work with the Republic as an ally. In the future that could mean a pardon for me and more jobs for us. It would also allow us to travel much easier throughout the galaxy." Asajj finished her thought process.  
Ahsoka sat silently thinking over what her partner had said. She was right of course but that would not lesson the danger the two possibly face going after Dooku as well as the fallout of their relationship with the Jedi order afterwards.

"They could still come after us when the job is finished." Ahsoka argued back.

"That is true. But the Jedi were always going to find out about us at some point. This way they learn of our relationship and abilities while we are seen as allies with them. This is a best-case scenario. Also look at it from the council's point of view. Not only was the council instrumental in kicking you out of the order, which could give you some leeway with them, but you have Master Plo Koon and Master Kenobi on your side inside of the council. Correct?" Asajj asked and she felt a nod on her shoulder. "Add on top of that the fact that your master is a war hero amongst the people and very vehemently on your side and us taking out Dooku. There would be nothing the Jedi council could do against us with that amount of support at our back." She fired back at Ahsoka's worries. "Our chances are good." With a smug smirk she let it rest at that.

Ahsoka just nodded along. With the world they lived in there would always be danger after them and all they could do is try to maximize their chance of success. The odds were good if they eliminated Dooku and she did have friends in the order still as well as a couple of Senator's that would side with her.

"Thanks for calming me down Saj." With that she planted a kiss on the pale woman's cheek and grabbed their luggage to go to the hanger.

The two of them arrived at the hanger that had a transport ship that would take them to Raxus. Asajj was going to leave their ship on Pantora as it would be recognized by anyone close to Dooku.

As the three Jedi and two bounty hunters got into the ship and sat down in their spots an immediate awkward silence filled the transport as it took off and left the atmosphere.

After some time of silence, it was Anakin who broke it. "Since we have a while until we get there why don't you finish the story about Mandalore?"

"Alright, then." After a moment of thought Ahsoka got ready. "We were leaving the Wren compound…"

"Wait." Asajj interrupted. And everyone looked at her. "The story would probably work better if I told my part first."

Ahsoka thought a little about it and nodded in agreement. Although Ahsoka was fairly sure Asajj was just trying to get the three Jedi used to being around her and relax so there would be no mistakes during the mission.

\---

5 Months Earlier

Asajj hopped aboard a ship with Bo Katan most of the Mandalorian guard that had been on with her on Florrum, Lux and Saw Gerrera, and several bounty hunters. It was weird flying without Ahsoka now and also didn't help she was stuck on the tin bucket with Ahsoka's ex who was glaring at her.

"Are you sure you are ready for this?" Bo Katan asked Asajj. She only received a snort in reply. "Look I understand you are confident in your skills, but this is the fate of my planet. I can plan for everything except those two brothers. I need to know you can take care of the problem."

Asajj sighed and turned to Bo Katan. The woman was a fierce warrior and this mission would either cement her in the history books or be the end of Mandalore. "Savage should be straight forward like we explained before. The only problem will be Maul. Neither of us have fought him before but it goes the same way for him. The best chance we have is to make sure he is caught off guard. If we can get him into a one on one fight then there is a good chance we will win." Asajj explained. "It would be better if he could be surrounded and ambushed by several people but as long as we are not outnumbered in a battle against him then it would be in our favor."

Katan only nodded and return to where she was sitting. Asajj relaxed back into her spot closing her eyes not wanting to socialize with anyone else there. Unfortunately, that wasn't really up to her. She felt a presence sit next to her. An agitated presence she recognized. "What do you want little Senator."

"Stay away from Ahsoka." He tried to say firmly.

Asajj slowly opened one eye and peaked next to her at the boy. He was trying to muster up an intimidating presence.

"Why?" She asked bluntly.

He faltered a little. "She doesn't need you. Traveling around with you just puts her in unnecessary danger and you're a bad influence on her."

"And I am woman." She stated flatly.

He gave her a confused expression. "What?"

She put on a fake apologetic face. "Sorry, I thought we were stating obvious facts. If she travels with me, she is in unnecessary danger and I am a bad influence on her. But it is what she chose and that's what matters." She said finally.

He frowned. He walked away from the confusing woman.

Asajj sat there with a small smile on her face. She may be worried that Ahsoka would go back to the Jedi but she had no qualms about her running off with that tool.

The rest of the trip was thankfully completed in silence. Although she did feel certain eyes glaring at her.

When they got to Mandalore they were able to enter the airspace thanks to new codes that had been provided to them by one of Bo Katan's spies in the offices around the capital.

They landed on a platform near the capital and were able to exit the ship and regroup at a warehouse nearby. They had to wait for the signal to attack the capital building.

Asajj fixed her lightsabers and got ready for the attack. The group sat there waiting for a few minutes before the explosions started in the hanger signifying the attack on the capital had begun. The group of Mandalorians and bounty hunters left the hanger quickly on their way to the capital building. They met minimal resistance as planned. Most of the fighting was occurring at the hangers.

They entered the capital building and made their way through the halls which were quite empty. They finally got to the doors of the throne room when Asajj really felt her alarm bells go off. It was too late though as they broke through the door and quickly entered in a defensive position to freeze. They didn't find Savage Oppress and a few guards. They found a trap.

There were a few dozen Mandalorians. What was most troubling though was the fact that Maul was sitting on the throne smirking. To his left was Ahsoka bound with Savage holding his lightsaber on her.

On the right of the throne was Cad Bane holding his gun to Duchess Satinee. Ursa Wren was also bound and held by one of the guards there.

\---

Present

"What!" Said a surprised Anakin. "You got captured again?" He looked to his former padawan.

"Hey it wasn't my fault!" She yelled back still miffed about the incident.

"Yes it was." Interjected Asajj who received a pout from the Togruta.

"Okay so maybe it was." She replied.

"Why don't you just tell us what happened Ahsoka." Obi Wan interjected to stop the circle of logic.

\---

5 months earlier

1 hour before the others enter the throne room

Ahsoka, Cad Bane, Ursa Wren, and 5 guards from house Wren were in a speeder on their way to the capital. Ahsoka and Wren were in the back seat talking about Sabine.

"She is such a cutie." Ahsoka gushed remembering the giggling girl in her arms.

"You just saw her on a good day. She is a very willful child and never does what she is told." Ursa Wren confessed. "She is always running around making a mess or hiding from guests. Always talking about how she will go out and explore the stars." She sighed. Her daughter was only two yet was a huge handful already.

"She will grow up to be a bigger handful." Ahsoka commented. It sounded like Sabine was a lot like she was when she joined the Jedi order.

"Probably. This may sound weird and sudden but would you be her god mother?" Ursa asked.

"What!" Ahsoka said suddenly.

"Yes." Ursa nodded. "I love Mandalore and my family and I am willing to fight for them, but if we fail, I want them safe. With me acting against the rightful leader of Mandalore house Wren will be cleansed if we lose. If something happens to me, I want you to take her off Mandalore." Ursa said determined.

Ahsoka saw this and nodded. She may not see eye to eye with her at all times but she felt a connection to the Mandalorian woman and her daughter. "Alright I will do it."

"Thank you." The woman sagged into her seat. She may be a tough warrior but her family was her weak spot.

The group drove the speeder getting closer to the city before abandoning the speeder near the outskirts and continuing on foot to the prison to rescue the duchess. As the group came to their entry point the stopped and waited for the signal to start the attack. Suddenly the door to the prison opened in front of them and both Savage Oppress and Maul walked out holding the Duchess. They had 10 guards with them and stopped just outside.

"Come out here Lady Tano. Or the Duchess dies." Maul said.

"We've been sold out!" She said frustrated.

"All of you come out now!" He said forcible holding his blade to the Duchess's throat.

The group slowly walked out of their cover.

"Good." He smiled.

Just as Ahsoka was trying to think of a plan to get the Duchess and escape she was knocked over the head and fell unconscious.

\---

Present

"See! Not my fault! We were betrayed." Ahsoka defended herself.

"You were betrayed by someone who had been an enemy several times in the past. You shouldn't have trusted him in the first place." Asajj commented.

To Ahsoka's dismay the three Jedi agreed with Asajj and it caused her to continue her pout.

"Why was that whole story about you being a godmother important thought?" Anakin asked.

"Actually, that is coming up! I really got to thank you for that mission you made me do at Mandalore all those years ago." She commented.

"What?" Anakin said confused.

"Well.."

\---

5 months ago

Ahsoka was being held by Savage Oppress as Asajj and Bo Katan entered the throne room.

"Welcome." Maul said to the new comers.

Asajj and the rest easily realized that Cad Bane had betrayed them.

"Maul." Said Bo Katan hatefully seeing her sister being held.

"Now this was easy. An attempt against the leader of Mandalore makes you all traitors to be executed. Of course, any of you could fight me one on one for the right to rule Mandalore." He taunted. "Of course, Ahsoka and Asajj would have to stay and rule Mandalore should they win any battle as the winner is the ruler of Mandalore."

There was silence. With several of the Mandalorians looking away in fear and shame. Until one person spoke up.

"I challenge you for the right to rule Mandalore." Came from the mouth of Ursa Wren. Maul turned and looked surprised that he was actually challenged. While Ursa Wren was a skilled warrior none of the Mandalorians could actually challenge him.

Maul smirked. And signaled the guard holding her to let go. Ursa stood up and was handed her weapons. She would fight for Mandalore even if it meant almost certain death. Ursa moved to stand across from Maul. She looked over to Ahsoka. "Remember your promise."

Ahsoka nodded thinking she was just about to watch her friend die when she remembered the promise she made and what it meant.

"I nominate myself as champion of house Wren." Everything froze in the throne room as they all turned to look at the Togruta.

"What did you say?" Maul asked. While Ursa Wren's eyebrows rose at what the Togruta said.

"You heard me. I nominate myself as a representative of house Wren. To fight as Ursa Wren's champion. By the laws of Mandalore, I, Sabine Wren's godmother, can act as champion for house Wren in any form of combat." Ahsoka received one of the rules she had memorized.

All the guards in the area looked to Maul expectantly. He had a small pause. While he was confident, he could defeat the padawan, she wasn't as predictable or easy as any of the Mandalorian's but he made the offer and would have to follow through with their customs to keep the planet on his side.

"Alright then. Hand over her sabers." He commanded as Ahsoka was released by Savage.

Savage had no qualms handing them over remembering how he had easily beat the girl while dealing with Ventress.

Ahsoka was handed her lightsabers as she walked over to where Ursa Wren was. The woman looked grateful to Ahsoka. "I didn't think about that." She said with a little smirk as Ahsoka approached her.  
"I almost didn't either. But your daughter is going to need you more." Ahsoka said gently while Wren stood off to the side.

Ahsoka looked over and made eye contact with Asajj who looked worried. Ahsoka was about to fight a skilled Sith. Ahsoka sent calming feelings through the force to her girlfriend. When Asajj calmed down enough Ahsoka mouthed Savage to her. Asajj nodded in return.

If the duel was going Ahsoka's way, Savage was not going to just stand by and do nothing. Asajj needed to be in position to do anything to prevent that. Ahsoka then turned and put her full attention to one of her most difficult opponents yet.

Darth Maul was an imposing opponent but he wasn't overly large either. This meant he was fast which was disconcerting considering speed was her strength as well.

Ahsoka breathed to calm herself as she waited.

"Lady Tano, anything you want me to tell Skywalker when I see him?" He said tauntingly.

"I am sure I will see him again before he dies." Ahsoka snarked back.

Both ignited each of their lightsabers and immediately attacked. They exchanged furious blows in attack and defense and were evenly matched. That was when Ahsoka found out that Maul was also a practitioner of Juyo. And more experienced with it.

Ahsoka was slightly faster and tried to use it to her advantage and dashed to try and flank Maul who was able to deflect the blow.

"You have been practicing." Maul commented in the middle of battle. Ahsoka ignored it as practicing with Asajj, she knew that some people like to use conversation as a distraction.

Ahsoka knew she wasn't getting anywhere with the use of Juyo as it counteracted each other. She fell back into Shien and was able to take more defensive stance to block the attacks from Maul while setting herself up for counter attacks.

Maul overreached for a thrust at Ahsoka who deflected the blow spinning around and landing a cut on his right arm causing him to drop the black blade. Ahsoka quickly kicked it out of the circle of combat limiting Maul to a single blade for combat.

With the loss of the blade Maul's ferocity got out of control and he started making mistakes that Ahsoka used her speed to dodge. She could see out of the corner of her eye that Savage was getting restless as the battle moved into her favor.

With one last move Ahsoka suddenly switched back to Juyo and used a powerful blow to the side pushing Maul off balance allowing Ahsoka to land a thrust to the abdomen.

Ahsoka's black blade pierce Maul and everyone froze.

"Brother no!" Savage Oppress tried to attack but Asajj was in the way delivering a deadly slash across his torso when he was focused on Ahsoka.

"Nobody move!" Bane broke the silence. He still had his gun on Satine. Bane had suddenly found himself on the losing side.

There was a blur when Bane was tackled away from Satine. Everyone looked over and saw Bo Katan in a combat with Bane who knocked her to the ground before pulling his gun to shoot her when a black light saber stabbed him in the chest. He looked down shocked before falling away to show Ursa Wren holding the Dark Saber.

Every Mandalorian bowed to Wren showing their loyalty to her being the new leader of Mandalore.  
Ursa seemed a little surprised.

"No. Duchess you.." The Mandalorian started before seeing her bow also.

"It is time for a new leader that can protect us." The Duchess smiled at the new leader of Mandalore.

\---

Present

"The Duchess is alive?" Kenobi asked.

"Yes. What made you think otherwise?" Ahsoka asked.

"All we heard was the previous leader was killed and Ursa Wren was the newest leader of Mandalore." Anakin responded.

"Oh, she was fine when we left." Ahsoka shrugged.

"You killed Maul?" Obi Wan asked.

"Yes. It was tough but as long as I kept my head, I could get around his moves." Ahsoka answered.

"We are almost to Raxus." Came a warning over the speakers.

The five people that had been in the cabin each went their separate ways to get their gear.

\---

5 months ago

A ship landed on Mandalore in the middle of the night and a cloaked figure walked out of it. He paused when he didn't feel the two presences he thought he would feel.

A nearby guard approached the man. "What is your business here?" He asked before being violently lifted up in the air and slammed back down.

"You are going to tell me what I need to know." The cloaked man said.

A few minutes later the man left in his ship thinking over what he had heard. This could be problematic for him as he had thought he had gotten rid of the Togruta that could influence his weapon away from him. He needed to get the problem out of the way before he made his move.

He made a call and the hologram of a clone appeared on the screen.

"Captain I am going to need to transfer prisoner 0626 to the facility on Kamino." The man in the cloak said.

"Of course Chancellor." The clone answered cutting the call.

The Chancellor made another call and Dooku answered. "What is urgent my master?"

"Your former apprentice and Skywalker's former apprentice have become a formindible team and have already killed Maul and Savage. We will need to get the upper hand on them and there is nothing better to do that than a surprise. I want you to take a prisoner that is in transport to Kamino." Sidious commanded his apprentice.

"Who is the prisoner, master?" Dooku replied.

"Barriss Offee."


	13. Raxus

Dark Disciple's Partner

The ship landed in a small landing area in Raxulon the capital of Raxus. When the five of them exited the ship dressed up and left the ship everyone was left gaping at Ventress. The Jedi and former Jedi were too used to seeing the assassin in combative clothing that seeing her in an elegant floor length dress made her look drop dead gorgeous. Jaws dropped all around.

"Lucky." Quinlan Vos whispered to Ahsoka next to him. She elbowed him and gave a glare in return.

"Do I need to warn you off flirting with her again?" She said harshly.

Ahsoka walked over to her partner and embraced and gave her a quick kiss. "You look beautiful Saj." She said quietly.

"You look good too. Its too bad you had to play the servant and have a plain dress. Id like to see you dress up." Asajj admitted.

"As you command, Mistress." Ahsoka said curtsying acting like a servant. But the look she gave Asajj was not very professional.

*Cough* "Maybe we should get moving. The party has already started." Interjected Kenobi.

Obi Wan and Anakin were wearing serving uniforms as well to blend in as the two of them were a little to recognizable so they needed to stay behind the scenes. The two of them split off to enter the gala from the service entrance to blend in with the other waiting staff.

Vos, Ventress, and Ahsoka approached the entrance of the gala where they were stopped by the guards.

"I'm afraid I must check you for weapons," the guard stated as Vos and Ventess handed over the invitations.

"Where would I keep weapons in this dress?" Ventress asked the guard coyly while using the force on him.

The guard chuckled. "Where would you keep weapons in that dress? You can go ahead." The guard only too happy to smile at the gorgeous woman. Vos entered with similar suggestions and the guard never even bothered to stop and check the lowly servant following around the extravagant couple.

The group moved through the crowd of rich nobles supporting the Separatist's with practiced ease. Making small chit chat with them about trade routes and pesky workers having the gall to want more money for their simple labor and whatever other problems the noblemen were having. Ahsoka kept her head down as it was seen as an insult for a servant to even look their betters in the eye, but she used this to her advantage to try and locate their target and subtly listen in on all the conversations around them to find any other important intelligence.

As she was listening, she overheard Vos talking to Asajj. "You know, I don't think you ever said what this party was about."

Asajj snorted. "Dooku is receiving the Humanitarian award. By the way, we may be undercover but if Ahsoka thinks any of your flirting is real she may just kill you. She is quite possessive. There was this one time at a bar where this mark walked up and put his hand on my hip and Ahsoka…."

"My lady, I believe the Count is about to give a speech." Ahsoka interrupted as much like a servant as she could while getting annoyed with Asajj.

Asajj was having fun teasing Ahsoka knowing she had to sit there and not react. But as Ahsoka had said, their mission came first and they needed to get eyes on Dooku.

Dooku stepped out in the crowd. He smiled kindly on everyone and even shook everyone's hand just like any other politician. He was good at putting on a show for the people. Asajj noticed that he wasn't alone either. As he walked through the crowd, he was accompanied by the general of the droid army, Grievous. This made their job that much tougher but with 5 of them it shouldn't be too hard to take both of them.

Dooku approached the podium to give his speech while Asajj was going through plans on how to get them alone. She didn't think she could get Dooku and Grievous to separate but she could get the two of them alone and that would be when they strike.

"It is an honor to stand here before you, for you represent the freedom and the future of our galaxy. The once-great Republic and the Jedi Order have become victims of their own ambitions, and the Supreme Chancellor is no more than a pawn of corporate monopolies."

As they listened to the speech they searched the crowd for any irregularities.

"This is ridiculous." Vos muttered.

"He isn't completely wrong." Whispered Ahsoka.

"What!" Vos whispered a little loud back receiving a glare from Asajj.

"He may be playing it up but I have first-hand experience of the corruption of the Republic and the Jedi Order. That is how Dooku is able to capitalize on the people here. The Republic and the Jedi do have victims out in the galaxy that they have harmed. Dooku is able to get them on his side with half truths but half truths are just that, partially correct." Ahsoka whispered still trying not to gain the attention of the crowd.

"The Jedi even created beings to fight to the death for them! While we only sacrifice droids. Not living beings." Dooku continued on his speech as they started listening again.  
Ventress sent a glance to Vos raising her eyebrow silently asking him to argue.

"Our soldiers of flesh and blood are willing participants! They are your fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, who fight not because they were grown and designed to do so, but because they know in their hearts that they are fighting for a just and noble cause!"

The crowd was eating it up. They cheered with excitement and glad to help Dooku. They had no idea what kind of monster he truly was and how he prayed on their goals.

"It is not a simle thing to be your leader during this unfortunate war but I shall receive this humanitarian honor, and take it as a sign of your approval."

With a burst of applause Dooku bowed and left the podium and went out into the courtyard that bordered the ballroom.

"With Grievous here our job will be a little more difficult." Asajj commented following the Sith with her eyes.

"They can deal with it." He tilted his head toward two innocuous waiters holding trays of drinks while moving through the crowd.

Ahsoka put her hand on Asajj's arm trying to comfort her. Asajj was a good actress and no one else would be able to see it, but Ahsoka could. Asajj was nervous. Even if the odds were in their favor Asajj still feared Dooku no matter how much bravado she put up.

Asajj looked to Ahsoka and nodded. They were ready. Asajj looked up to see Obi Wan and Anakin go out the doors on the opposite side to the courtyard where a few of the guests along with Dooku were. Vos, Asajj, and Ahsoka went out the same doors as Dooku.

As the 5 of them were converging on his position being as discreet as possible Dooku suddenly spoke loudly.

"Did you really think that I hadn't noticed you in the crowd during my speech Ventress. That I couldn't feel you. That I couldn't feel your friends either?" He turned around and faced her looking her in the eye. "Did you really think I didn't know you were coming days ago?" He said tauntingly with a smile that just said he was looking down on her.  
She glared back at him while keeping her anger in check. She remembered the teachings from Revan her and Ahsoka had studied. Don't let emotions control you but use them and feel them anyway. She held her anger and used it as a weapon.

"Whether you knew or not there is no way you can win against all of us." She calmly unholstered her light-sabers that she was indeed hiding in her dress. The other four did the same while Dooku and Grievous stood.

"I know many things that you don't seem to know and can turn any problem into an advantage. But you think this is a 5 on 2 battle. But it isn't." He reached into his cloaked and withdrew a light-saber hilt but it wasn't the one that he normally uses which confused Ventress. What confused her more was when he threw it to Vos who caught it and his face instantly contorted in rage.

By this point the guests had left in fear. Grievous went to engage Obi Wan while Anakin jumped at Dooku. What was not expected was Vos igniting both blades and attacking Ventress. His moves were fast but sloppy.

"You killed him!" He shouted in rage.

"What are you doing!" Ahsoka yelled confused on what she should do. Grievous was fighting Obi Wan, Dooku with Anakin, Asajj with Vos. Ahsoka didn't want to fight against a Jedi but she had to defend her partner, but would her partner prefer her to help kill Dooku instead.

The decision was taken from her when she was blind sided from a kick that knocked her to the floor. She quickly rolled and ignited her light-sabers and prepared for whatever enemy attacked her, at least she thought she was.

"Barriss?" Ahsoka asked quietly. She was shocked to see her old friend standing there holding two red light-sabers.

"Hello Ahsoka. I am glad I was able to help you." She smiled down on her old friend with a smile that was ruined in Ahsoka's memories.

"Help?! You framed me for treason!" Ahsoka shouted back throwing a slash at Barriss.

Barriss blocked it. "I showed you the truth. The Jedi don't care about us! They only care about the Order! Didn't you hear the people in there cheering. The horrors the Jedi committed are numerous!" Barriss yelled back.

The two exchanged blows oblivious to everything else going around.

With Asajj

She blocked another powerful overhand strike from the Jedi master who she could feel was starting to channel the dark side into his moves.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked. She didn't see a reason of why Vos would turn on her so suddenly.

"That's great! It meant so little to you that you don't even remember." He replied angrily. "Do you recognize this light-saber?" He asks rhetorically. Asajj didn't really remember it as she had seen many light-  
sabers and the only ones she really remembered were hers, Ahsoka's, and Dooku's. "This one belonged to my master Tholme." All this occurring while he viciously attacked her. "The thing is I have a special ability that gives me visions when I touch items. It shows me the past. When Dooku handed me the light-saber I saw you killing my master!"

Oh. Now Asajj knew why he turned. She had killed a few Jedi while working for Dooku.

They continued to battle as Asajj was kept on the defense of an enraged Jedi master. With a few blocks trying to figure out how to salvage this and cursing Dooku for planning this. She looked to the side and saw Ahsoka battling someone who was using her old blades. Realizing that it must be Barriss Offee and how tough of a situation Ahsoka was in was worrying.

Suddenly clanking was heard from behind and she saw several battle droids along with a few magna guards coming to the room.

"We need to retreat!" She shouted.

Obi Wan used the force to push Grievous who had kept him in a stalemate out of a window and rushed over to her.

"Vos. Stop this we need to go." Obi Wan commanded.

"No! She killed my master. The Jedi were just going to pardon her. She's a Sith, an assassin, and she has killed Jedi. She doesn't deserve a pardon!" He went in for another strike which Obi Wan blocked.

"We need to go." Obi Wan said helping direct both out the door. Suddenly there was a cackling sound and Vos seized up and fell with two magna guards behind him. They picked him up and pulled back.

Obi Wan was about to go after the guards and saw Dooku and Barriss walking towards them.

He grabbed Asajj's arm and pulled her with him and the two left.

With Ahsoka

After exchanging several blows Barriss stopped. "We don't need to fight anymore Ahsoka. I just wanted you to see what the Jedi were."

"What do you mean?" Ahsoka asked confused.

"Join me and we can destroy the hypocrisy of the Jedi!" Barriss smiled. "I know you cared for me. I could see it when we were together. The Jedi would never let it happen but Dooku already said you could join us Ahsoka." Barriss continued.

"You are right." Ahsoka confessed. Barriss brightened. "The Jedi are hypocrites and I could never go back there. And I did see it because of you. But the Sith are worse. You are just as much as a hypocrite as the Jedi. You just want to fight injustice and you have tunnel vision. You see a single problem and you are willing to do anything to stop it. There could have been a chance but you have gone too far." She took a deep breath. "You were my best friend. I trusted you and you nearly had me killed. You can't say it was for my own good. The only reason I wasn't executed was because you were caught." Ahsoka said harshly.

"We need to retreat!" Ahsoka heard Asajj yell. She pushed the unsuspecting Barriss back and rushed to Anakin to pull him away from his battle with an entertained Sith. The two of them ran out the side door.

The four of them were able to escape from the gala before reinforcements were called in and they made it back to the ship.

They all got in and the ship took off and all four sat in silence trying to figure out what went wrong.

Ahsoka was lost in her own world thinking of her old friend Barriss. Ahsoka wondered how she had fallen so far and yet there were other doubts that lingered in her head. She may have deliberately stayed away from any news about it but the fact that Barriss had never been executed and somehow escaped stung when it seemed like everyone had worked so hard to make sure she died.

Obi Wan was the first to speak. "What happened with Vos? I had never seen him like that before." He asked. He was worried about his friend. The two of them had been quite the rambunctious younglings together.

Ventress sighed. She was worried about how they would react. "Apparently the light-saber Dooku tossed him was Vos's master's light-saber and Vos has some force ability to see visions connected with items. When he grabbed it he saw his master dying…. By my hand." She finished.

Anakin and Obi Wan looked at her sharply. Ahsoka still didn't react lost in her own world.

Before they could berate her though Ventress needed to point out something that was bugging her. "But how did Dooku know. Not only did he know we were coming he knew who would be there and countered us perfectly. He was carrying that light-saber specifically for Vos to take him and me out of the picture. He kept Grievous by him and then there was his knew apprentice to deal with Ahsoka."  
They both looked up quickly but it was Anakin who talked first. "What apprentice? I knew I saw someone in a cloak fighting Ahsoka but I didn't have time to look."

Seeing that Ahsoka still didn't react to the conversation that was going around her led Asajj deciding to answer. "I recognized the light-sabers she was using. They used to be mine. The same ones Barriss took from me." At the mention of Barriss's name Ahsoka flinched.

Asajj moved to sit by her and put her arm around Ahsoka. It must have been bad what ever happened between the two of them for Ahsoka to have ended up like this.

Anakin watched the two of them interact while Obi Wan stood "I need to contact the council and see where to go from here." He left the room.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ahsoka asked quietly.

"What?" Replied Anakin.

"Why didn't you say Barriss had escaped prison! That she was out there!" Ahsoka blew up on her former master who flinched at the outburst.

Asajj chuckled a little. "Isn't obvious. He couldn't. They thought you were the one to break her out. That you were so angry with the council that you sided with her and broke her out of prison. Isn't that right."

"Yes. They did. I never agreed with it but they still saw you as the only suspect." Anakin admitted.

Ahsoka just stood quickly and left the room leaving Asajj and Anakin alone.

"Well that could have gone better." Anakin said.

"The mission or that conversation?" Asajj quipped.

"Both."

They sat in silence for a minute before getting up and going to their cabins. It had been a long day and they needed some quiet to figure out where to go from there.


	14. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group deals with the feelings of defeat after a mission gone wrong and they try to make plans for where they will be going next.

Obi Wan was going through a lot of emotions at the moment and his mind was in turmoil. Everything during the mission had gone wrong. This was supposed to be a turning point in the war for the Republic. Take out Dooku and maybe Grievous and the Separatists would be on the run. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew a mission to take out the leaders would do a lot to put an end to the war. 

A war that has caused a lot of innocent suffering. But instead, a good friend of his turned on his allies, they were ambushed, and Dooku revealed his new apprentice. The tables had turned for the war and it was not in their favor.

He entered his quarters where he would make the call to report the mission to the council.

Obi Wan appeared as a projection in the council chambers where they waited for his report.

"News, you bring us." The grand master stated. He leaned forward to listen as did the others.

"Unfortunately, it is not good news." Obi Wan admitted.

"What happened?" Master WIndu cut to the chase.

Obi-Wan then relayed the events of the attempt to the council and how it fell apart. He told them everything from his point of view and what the others had said to him afterwards. The council was largely surprised about the mention of Barriss and her association with Dooku. This had many of them worried about what the future could bring with a new enemy aiding Dooku.

That was when Mace Windu asked something that Never even crossed Obi-Wans mind. "Do we need to be worried about Ahsoka and Ventress? From what it sounds like, Ahsoka was barely fighting Barriss and they were talking the whole time with the two of them being close friends, while Ventress was fighting a highly regarded Jedi Master who was taken by the Sith. Are you sure they are not working with Dooku and were the ones who set the ambush?"

Obi Wan sighed. He wanted to be surprised by Master Windu's actions but he wasn't. This was getting old between the bombing, Barriss escaping, and now this. Ahsoka had become the council's escape goat for when they didn't have answers of what happened.

"No. Both of them may dislike the Jedi and especially the Jedi council but they would never side with Dooku for an ambush. They were just as surprised as we were and that is what kept us from victory. What I am worried about is how Dooku found out about the mission. He also somehow knew about Barriss's transport and no one here can say that Ahsoka had that information to give to Dooku." Obi Wan finished getting annoyed.

"That is concerning." Master Koon stated. He was one of the few that didn't think Ahsoka was behind everything. He looked at her as a daughter even if that was not the Jedi way. It was why Ventress was knock him out so easily since he was distracted by having to arrest Ahsoka. "Do you think it could be a Jedi?" He asked.

"It could be." Obi Wan stated. "But none of this speculating with out evidence or information will help. What are we going to do about Vos."

"We need you and Skywalker to return to your troops. There is an attack on Felucia that needs to be stopped. I believe Master Vos would agree that a planet of innocents is more important than his life." Interjected Master Fisto.

"We do not have the resources to mount a rescue right now. Master Vos is lost." Added Master Mundi.

Obi Wan hid the warring emotions well. The connection cut from the council and he was left alone in his quarters wondering where they had gone wrong and what to do next.

\---

The council let out and the master's went their separate ways all with different ideas going through there mind on what is going to happen next.

The two temple guards standing out side the chamber to keep people from entering left as well. One of them walked down a corridor and into an empty room before removing his helmet revealing his pale white features and yellow eyes common to the Pau'an race.

He pulled out a communicator.

"Hello Master Offee." He stated.

"My apprentice." Came the voice over the communicator. "What information do you have for me."

"The council is spread to thin. They will leave Vos to his fate." The guard stated.

"Good. The plan is going to schedule." She replied.

"When will we kill Dooku." He asked.

"Soon." Barriss said before ending the call.

\---

Ahsoka had left the group and returned to her room on the ship to try and think over everything. She had never thought that she would ever see Barriss again.

Barriss had escaped prison and joined up with

Her friend that had inspired her so much was now a Sith bent on destroying the Jedi. Ahsoka thought that she had put everything that had happened with her being framed for the bombing behind her but seeing Barriss brought it all back. The betrayal still hurt especially seeing her standing there with Dooku.

She felt arms wrap around her and knew Asajj had followed her back to the room.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Came a soft voice from the bounty hunter that no one else was privileged to hear.

"What is there to talk about?" The sarcastic venom quite clear in the former Jedi's voice. "The woman that was my best friend, that I looked up to, and that I was in love with is now Dooku's new apprentice? Although it is kind of ironic since my new best friend and the woman I love was Dooku's last apprentice." She comments smirking a little at the coincidence.

Asajj just sighs and rolls her eyes at Ahsoka. "The first part smart ass."

Ahsoka chuckles before leaning back into the embrace her partner had held her in. "It hurt more than I thought. She offered her hand to join her." She added.

"Did you want to accept?" Asajj asked.

"No. I just….. I just wanted to see if there was any of my old friend still in there." She said.

"Was she there?" Although Asajj knew the answer, she also knew Ahsoka needed to acknowledge it as well.

"No. The Barriss that I knew was gone and would be horrified at what she has become. I do understand why she wanted to point out the hypocrisy of Jedi but bombing them and joining with Sith. She has fallen too far." Ahsoka said sadly.

"Then hold onto that." Asajj said fiercely. "This will not be the last time we see her. I am willing to bet that Dooku recruited her because you teamed up with me. It was meant to keep us away from him. We will meet with them again and when we do you can't hesitate because she used to be a friend, because it will come down to one of you surviving and it better be you." Asajj warned her.

"Don't worry I will stop her for destroying my friend." Ahsoka replies determined. Asajj nods in approval.

The doors to the room opened. "Revenge isn't the Jedi way Snips." Said Anakin while entering the room.

"I'm no Jedi." She says sadly looking at her former master.

He smiled a little knowing how false that statement was. Anakin knew Ahsoka was no longer a Jedi by title but he knew she was more of a Jedi than anyone in that temple.

"Was there a reason you barged in here Skywalker." Asajj interrupted.

"Yes. Obi Wan wants to see you." Anakin said.

"Did he finish with his report to the council." Ahsoka asked?

"I think so and he didn't look too happy." With that Anakin left the room.

\--

The couple soon followed to see what the Jedi master had to say and the group met in the common area of the ship and found a pensive Obi Wan.

"Anakin and I have a mission. We are leaving." He stated.

"What about Vos?!" Anakin asked harshly.

"He is to be considered lost and the Jedi are short resources." He replied bitterly.

"We can't just leave him." Anakin just bit out.

Obi Wan Looked over to the other two in the room.

"I don't want to leave him either Anakin. He's my friend." Obi Wan was looking very worn down. He reached into his pocked and pulled out a bag of credits. "Would this be enough to hire you for the job?" He asked the bounty hunters.

Ahsoka took the money and looked inside. "I thought Jedi didn't need material possessions, oh great Jedi master?" She asked in a slight teasing tone.

"They don't. doesn't mean that having some credits isn't helpful from time to time." He replied quirking his lip slightly.

Ahsoka handed over the bag to Asajj who nodded her assent.

Ahsoka turned back to the Jedi master. "We will do what we can but there are no promises. We have to find where they have him figure out how to infiltrate and possibly hire help. It could take awhile and by then he could be dead…. Or worse." Ahsoka told him gravely. She had learned quickly not to promise anyone anything in this world because rescues always work on the kidnappers time table.

Obi Wan agreed. He knew it was a long shot and wasn't expecting a miracle but he still had to at least try something. He had lost too much in this war and hoped he could get his friend back.

The group flew back to Pantora where they sperated. Obi Wan and Anakin both left back to Coruscant while Ahsoka and Asajj went to their ship to start their search.

\---

Anakin was in a room with Padme while on the way to Coruscant.

"Ani, what happened?" Padme asked. She didn't know anything about the mission but knew it was important. Then add on seeing Ahsoka again and the fact she wasn't blind to the missing passenger. She knew something was up and it had affected her husband greatly.

"I can't talk about it." He said.

"I'm not asking for mission details Ani. I just want to know what is causing this mood. Is it because of Vos? Ahsoka? Or is it something else?" She persisted. She knew Ani got broody and quiet when something was wrong and it really had to be pried out of him to get him to talk.

"All of the above." He replied and paused for a minute. Everything that had happened going through his head. "Have you ever thought about what would happen after the war?"

"What do you mean?" Padme asked confused.

"What do you want to do? Are you going to stay in the senate? Stay on Coruscant? Or go back to Naboo? What about us? Are we going to keep hiding this?" He asked.

"Where did this come from?" Padme wouldn't lie and say she never thought about that. She always liked planning ahead but she had yet to come up with an answer for both of them.

"It's just seeing Ahsoka. I was worried about how she would do out on her own. Then hearing that she was with Ventress made me worried for her and I was ready to save her, but seeing her now and hearing what she has been through makes me jealous." He admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"The freedom she has. She of course looks over her shoulder for enemies and fights but its what she chose. She doesn't have to hide herself from her friends and those she cares about. I want that." He admitted with a huge weight being lifted of his shoulders.

"You want to stop hiding that we are together?" Padme asked shocked.

"After the war." Anakin said with conviction.

She smiled at him. "Ok. But what about the Jedi."

He looked to his side to where she was. "If they have a problem then I will just leave. Ahsoka showed me that I can survive without them. If I leave the Jedi, then it will give us more opportunity to be together. I am sure Naboo is in need of a good mechanic."

With that she gave him a kiss.

Outside the door Obi Wan walked by pondering many things. One of which was whether his apprentice really thought he was being sneaky about his relationship with the Naboo senator.

\---

Asajj and Ahsoka sat in the cockpit of their ship as they left Pantora after a goodbye to Riyo. Asajj still didn't like the peaceful senator and it had nothing to do with how close she was to Ahsoka.

"Where are we going to start?" Ahsoka asked referring to looking for Vos.

"Dooku has many prisons but only a few are made for holding a Jedi." Asajj recounted her information. "The only thing we need to do is find any information on where Dooku is and any sightings of him. It would immensely help with narrowing down the area he went to after capturing him."

Ahsoka agreed. "What do we do when we find him? Last time he tried to kill you and even if it is the two of us, trying to execute a prison break with a reluctant and hostile escapee while also possibly dealing with Dooku might be a little much."

"I am aware of that. We will need a little bit of help." Asajj replied she turned the ship to the only place where she could get the information and help. They were on their way to Tatooine.

\---

Obi Wan was sitting in the cockpit when Anakin entered and sat next to him.

"Anakin. We need to be careful even inside the temple from now on. The council may not believe me but there is a spy. We need to find out who."

"Who should we trust?" Anakin asked. Usually he was brash and sarcastic but with everything that has happened since Ahsoka leaving he was wary of the halls too.

"I think I know a few we can trust but I am not confident enough that they would keep anything a secret from the council. Right now, only trust the two of us and Ahsoka. She will be a useful ally to have in what is to come. The war is going to end soon. I just don't think we are going to be as happy about it as we think we will." Obi wan stated.

"What do you think is going to happen?" The apprentice asked.

"I don't know, I just know that the enemy is too well informed."

With that the two spent the rest of the trip in silence.

\---

Screams echoed down the hall of the building and she entered the room to see her master working on his prisoner. "Is he ready yet master." She asked.

"Almost Barriss. Be patient."

"I am worried that your master will suspect something. He made you get rid of the last apprentice so you wouldn't get powerful enough to overthrow him now you have me and Vos." She explained.

"And your pet. Don't think I don't know about him. A Sith should be just as wary of his enemies as their allies." He said smoothly. "It is why the Jedi will fall to my master's plan. Just that I will be the one to complete it." He explained without looking up from what he is doing.

"Then the Jedi will fall."


	15. Thabeska

Dark Disciple's Partner

Obi-Wan was in the Republic cruiser on his way to Felucia thinking over what had been going on recently. The Jedi council has been acting differently, or his eyes were just open more than they had been. It was times like this where he wished he put more credence into his own master's disagreements with the council.

Obi-Wan had told the council that Ahsoka and Asajj were going to continue looking for Vos while they were on their mission. Most of the council didn't seem to even care that Vos might still be rescued or they didn't put much faith into the 'failed' Jedi. Master Windu went so far to state that if Vos was rescued by them he would most likely fall to the dark side as if he were still with Dooku.

Darkness was descending on the galaxy and Obi-Wan was not sure which side the council was on. He wasn't even sure of which side he was on.

\-----

Asajj and Ahsoka arrived on Tatooine and were walking through Mos Eisley.

"Do you think we really need some help?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yes, and as much as I hate to say it, they are the best." Asajj sighed. She wasn't excited for this either.

Just then a young woman bumped into Ahsoka and fell on the ground. She looked up to the Jedi "I am so sorry I wasn't looking where I was going."

Ahsoka offered her a hand and helped her up. "It was no problem."

Suddenly a loud voice was heard yelling. "Hurry up Beru we will be late!"

The young woman smiled. "Sorry, but I got to go. We are getting new parts for our moisture vaporator." And with that the young woman took off.

"Who was that?" Asked Asajj who was annoyed at the delay.

"I don't know but she seemed nice." Ahsoka responded.

The two continued walking through Mos Eisley until they arrived to a building and walked in the door to a dark bar. Off in the corner they spotted the people they were looking for.

Bossk, Latts, and Boba were sitting in a booth at the back of the cantina chatting. Ahsoka and Asajj approached the table a little wary about the reception they would get. Asajj knew Boba was still a little sore about the job they did awhile back but they also knew after Mandalore things were more neutral between them.

"What are you two doing back here?" The young bounty hunter asked.

"We are here about a job." Asajj said while placing down about half of the money that Obi-Wan had given them.

Boba became a little less antagonistic at the sight of the money on the table. "What kind of job are we talking about? I saw you two take down two Sith so what kind of job would require us?" He stated a little cocky while also a little wary by what trouble they would bring. There was no denying that the two of them were good at what they did.

"We need to free someone from a prison." Ahsoka interjected.

"What sort of prison would you need our help for?" Boba knew of very few prisons that would be able to hold him and would need help getting out of. He was willing to bet that list was smaller for the two force users in front of him.

"The kind that can hold a Jedi." Asajj said bluntly.

Boba now looked annoyed. "We may have worked together in the past, but what in my past would make you think that I would risk my life to break a filthy Jedi out of prison. The only reason I tolerate your partner here is she was smart enough to leave the hypocritical bastards."

Ahsoka wanted to be angry at his attitude but couldn't help but sympathize with him a little. She looked at Boba sitting there with Bossk and Latts. Embo was also probably around here with Highsinger. He had made his family after losing everything the same way she did with Asajj. She knew exactly how to get him to agree. "Mace Windu doesn't like the Jedi in the prison and gave the order to leave him there to die." Ahsoka was aware of Mace Windu being the one that killed Jango in the battle of Geonosis. Granted she didn't fault Windu for that.

But it perked up Boba. He looked to the bag sitting on the table and then to his team.

"You got yourself a deal. As long as we get half of our cut up front." Boba answered. "What is the plan?"

"First, we need to meet with a few contacts of mine to find out which prison he is held in specifically." Asajj answered having put a plan together. "Meet back here in a week and we should have a location. We will contact you should anything change."

Boba nodded in acceptance and watched the two leave the cantina with their business finished.

"What sssshould we do then?" Bossk hissed out when they were out the door.

"I have not decided yet." Boba replied thoughtfully before pulling out a flyer that had a very large bounty on the two that just left. "But we have a week to figure that out."  
\-----

Ahsoka and Asajj returned to the ship and took off to go and meet one of Asajj's contacts on a planet called Thabeska.

"Do you think we could take another break from work soon?" Ahsoka asked suddenly.

Asajj arched her eyebrow from the pilot's seat. "I thought you liked the excitement and helping people?"

Ahsoka squirmed a little in her chair. "I do Its' just that ever since we've left Dathomir we have gone up against Maul, Savage, Dooku, Barriss, and Grevious, and that was on top of dealing with having Anakin around again which was stressful. And now we have this whole prison thing with Vos. I wouldn't mind a break and maybe some time training rather than being in a constant fight to the death." Ahsoka slumped into her chair at the end of her rant.

Asajj smirked a little. "Who would have thought you would miss Dathomir so much." She teased.

"I miss the quiet more than anything and we only seem to be able to find peace and quiet on desolate planets devoid of life." Ahsoka deadpanned.

Asajj laughed a little at that mostly because it is true.

"Fine. After this job we will try to find some time to lay low." Asajj said like she was relenting to her partner's demands but in reality, some down time sounded good to her too.

"Yes!" Shouted Ahsoka as she punched her fist into the air acting like a child. Sometimes Ahsoka forgot that they were equal partners in the business, but she was still content at letting Asajj take the lead. Ahsoka had spent most of her teens leading armies and it took a toll on her.

Asajj rolled her eyes at her partners action and yet also had a small genuine smile creep up on her. At times like this she was glad she had forced Ahsoka to join her.

The two of them arrived on Thabeska quickly as it was not far from Tatooine. Asajj started leading them to a large building with several people milling about. It was filled with goods and looked to have its own hanger.

"Who is this contact of yours?" Ahsoka asked. She was always curious about who she was going to be meeting with as she did not like working with people she saw as the bad guys. Even if she was a bounty hunter and it was expected of her.

"The Fardi clan. They are a wealthy family of merchants and traders. They also have a lucrative side business with a bit of smuggling." Asajj said smirking.

"Smugglers?" Ahsoka asked dubiously.

"Yes. They are some of the best smugglers getting past blockades and trade embargo all over the galaxy." Asajj replied.

"What do they smuggle." Ahsoka asked.

"Usually food and medical supplies to war torn planets. They help provide goods to civilians who don't have access to it due to the war going on." She added.

Ahsoka nodded at the information and smiled a little. She liked these people already. She herself not being afraid to break the law to do what she felt was right.

They walked into the large hanger which had goods stacked around the large area and people carrying boxes to their next destination. When they walked down a section of goods a little girl ran around the corner and bumped into Ahsoka and then dropped to the floor. She turned her head around quickly and looked all over frantically. She quickly got up and then ran around and hid behind Ahsoka's legs.

The two were confused until a woman who looked to be in her thirties came around the corner to see the two of them and a small girl who was still clearly visible.

The woman rolled her eyes and smiled at Asajj and then looked over to Ahsoka. "You two wouldn't happen to have seen a little girl around here? My daughter seems to have run off."

Ahsoka with the most innocent face possible replied. "No little girls here. Haven't seen a single one." Still feeling the girl pressed against the back of her legs.

"That's too bad. I was trying to get her to wash up after she ran around the hanger and got grease all over herself. She can't have any cake if she is still covered in grease. I guess I will have to eat it all by myself." The woman sighed in an overly dramatic manner.

Suddenly the little girl shot out from behind Ahsoka. "Wait Mommy! I am right here!" She said desperate for some cake.

All three of the older women were chuckling.

"So you are Hedala. Go find your sisters and wash up while I tend to your father's guests." Hedala's mother asked. With that the girl took off again.

"Ventress, it is good to see you again." The woman smiled. "I assume your friend here is trustworthy if you brought her here." The woman implied.

Ventress smiled back. "You as well Kassandra. This is Ahsoka m partner." She said as she slipped her hand into Ahsoka's.

Ahsoka's eyebrows rose with shock. Asajj was never nice to others or initiated contact in public. Asajj always thought it made her look weak and didn't keep up her image as a badass. (That last part was more Ahsoka's thought.) Ahsoka assumed there was a good story out of this friendship.

Kassandra quirked her eyebrow at the display and smirked. "I see. Well I will take it that you are here to see my husband."

"We are but we would have no problem staying for dinner. I am sure 'Soka here is already bouncing in anticipation and curiosity." Asajj back to amused as she looked to her side to see an antsy Ahsoka looking embarrassed at being found out so easily.

Kassandra laughed. "Of course, I will make sure the both of you have places set tonight."

They were led to a room with a middle-aged man sitting at a desk looking tired.

"Fardi, Ventress is here to see you." Kassandra said at entering.

The man looked up to his guests and gave a strained smile. "What can I do for you? I'm guessing you are here for information since you never visit to see an old friend." He asked.

"You would be correct." Asajj replied. Kassandra left the three of them to talk.

"Well what is it you want to know. My pilots bring in plenty of information from all over the galaxy from their jobs. I only hope I know enough to help you and former Jedi Padawan Tano." He finished with a smirk.

"You have always enjoyed showing off your knowledge." Said Asajj amused at his tone while also retaking Ahsoka's hand to calm her when she tensed. "It's not like it is even impressive to know that considering her face being plastered all over the holonet last year. And she is wearing light-sabers." Asajj added smirking back.

The man chuckled and put his hands up in surrender. "I should have learned by now not to use my tricks on you. I will always lose."

Ahsoka looked confused about the entire interaction.

Asajj noticed this and try to explain a little. "Fardi likes to put his trade partners off their game by dropping information that he gathered on them. But he is harmless. He would never give out information on me and that extends to you right?" She said hinting toward Fardi.

"It seems you followed my advice Ventress. Once I heard you had a partner and who it was, I made sure to keep all that information to myself." Fardi chuckled.

Asajj nodded and smiled. "Down to business." Asajj's demeanor changed quickly. "We are planning on releasing a high value prisoner from the Separatist's that was recently captured. I was wondering if you knew anything about that?"

He brought his hand up to his chin as if he were to think about it. "This would be the prisoner captured during the assassination attempt on Dooku?" He asked even though everyone in the room was sure he knew they were there. "I can't say anything specifically, but I do know that Dooku made a visit to The Citadel right after the attempt." He added.

"The Citadel? Dooku had mentioned it as an impenetrable prison in the past but I have never been there." Asajj was worried as she had hoped it was somewhere she knew the layout of.

"Again!?" Came the sudden shout.

The other two occupants of the room looked over to Ahsoka confused.

"What are you talking about Ahsoka?" Asajj asked.

"I may have broken into the Citadel before." She said a little shyly.

"You broke into an impenetrable prison?" She asked skeptically. She knew Ahsoka got much better recently but the old Ahsoka would not have been able to do it.

"I may have stowed away on the ship that was taking Anakin and Obi-Wan there. They didn't find me until we got there so they had to let me go with." She explained embarrassed about her old actions.

"That sounds a little more like you." Replied Asajj.

"Hey! I was important to the rescue." She protested with a pout.

Asajj just patted the top of her montrels. "I am sure you were." She replied with a patronizing voice.

"Hmph."

Fardi watched the back and forth with an amused smirk. "Is that all our business taken care of because I am hungry and I am sure lunch is ready."

The three of them headed into a connected house to the main building where Kassandra and their daughters were getting food ready.

"Is business done?" Kassandra asked as they came in.

"All taken care of dear. I hope we have enough for our guests." Fardi responded as he entered the kitchen and planted a kiss on his wife's cheek.

"I have the places set."

Everyone went to the dinning room where both parents and children and guests had places set. Everyone sat down to eat. Ahsoka was sitting between Asajj and the little girl she had met earlier. With Kassandra across from her with a girl on either side and Fardi at the head of the table next to Asajj.

"It is nice to meet you Ahsoka. I should probably introduce my girls. The two eldest are Chenna and Makala. The little one next to you is Hedala." Kassandra said introducing her to everyone.

The young girl next to her smiled up at her before shoving more food in her mouth. "It is nice to meet you too, but I can't help but wonder how you and Asajj got to know each other."

Fardi laughed. "I figured she would have told you by now."

Asajj scowled. "There was no need."

"Well about 3 years ago I was doing a job myself. I flew through a blockade to deliver some resources to a group of rebels on Onderon." Fardi started.

"Onderon? I was there!" Ahsoka shouted already engrossed in the story.

He chuckled. "I know I saw you when I dropped of the supplies but I was just making a delivery so I didn't warrant meeting the great commander Tano." He said sarcastically with a smirk. "Anyway, what was important was what happen after that. When leaving Onderon I was attacked by some Separatists ships and my ship was crashing. When I crashed, I was captured and brought to a base. Just as they were going to start interrogating me, since they thought I was a rebel, Ventress here showed up and attacked the base. She destroyed the droids and the base."

Ahsoka looked to Asajj with her brow cocked. "What! I had some anger issues. Stumbled across a base and figured I would destroy a few droids."

"She ended up releasing me and giving me a ride back here and I made it home just in time for Hedala being born." He said smiling.

"I was on my way to Tatooine." Asajj grumbled.

"Hah! I knew you were a softy even before you met me." Ahsoka said.

"And I am glad you took my advice of not working alone." Fardi added.

"What advice did you give her." Ahsoka wondered. She was totally absorbed in the story.

"That having someone you can trust completely will always life better. That's how it was for me when I met Kassandra." He smiled lovingly at his wife. "Enough about us. How did you two meet?" Fardi asked

Ahsoka grew a little nervous. "Well the first time we met she tried to kill me. And a few times after that as well. I was trying to kill her too though so its ok." She quickly added trying to assure the surprised look.

"How did you become partners then?" Kassandra asked deciding to skip over the two's rocky past.

"That story started when Ahsoka became a fugitive." Asajj took over knowing that it was still tough for Ahsoka to talk about it. "I captured her for the bounty that was put on her. She talked me into helping her uncover the real culprit in return for helping me get a pardon and I agreed."

"You liked Ahsoka even then? You aren't dumb enough to give up a bounty for that." Fardi interjected.

"What do you mean?" Ahsoka asked.

"Ahsoka, you were mistrusted by the Jedi council and held no real standing with the republic. You were a padawan and not even a knight. If Ventress helped you prove your innocence do you really think she would get a pardon because you asked for it?" He explained.

"Uhh….." Ahsoka was drawing a blank.

"I saw myself in you." Asajj interjected. "It was why I helped. Also your master does have a bit of pull. I know you don't but Skywalker could put in a good word if I saved his padawan."

"Oh?" Ahsoka wondered what she meant.

Asajj sighed. "You felt betrayed by the Jedi. I could see it and it reminded me of when my master died. I wanted to help to make sure you end up like me."

Ahsoka nodded. She could see Asajj doing that to help her even if no one else saw that in her.

Asajj turned back to the Fardi family. "I tried to help Ahsoka but she got captured anyway. I lost my light-sabers to the real culprit and when Ahsoka was proven innocent she left the order. When I ran into her after I told her she owed me for the light-sabers and lack of a pardon and it just went from there." Asajj finished casually.

The Fardi family nodded. "It sounds like quite the tale." Kassandra added.

"I could never get her to come work for me though. Maybe you would be interested." Fardi asked.

"Don't go poaching my partner." Asajj interjected.

Ahsoka laughed. "I am sorry I'm spoken for."

"I had to try." Sighing dramatically.

After that it was all light hearted conversation hearing about the girls' days and especially about the delicious cake.

\-----

That evening Ahsoka and Asajj left with smiles on their face.

"That was fun." Ahsoka commented. Meeting the Fardi's was an unexpected highlight.

"It was. I try to stop by every once in a while. I would have brought you by sooner but we have been busy." Asajj explained.

"And we have to go back to that now. By the way, you did notice that Hedala is force sensitive right." Ahsoka asked casually.


	16. Tatooine-The Citadel

Dark Disciple's Partner

Ahsoka and Asajj arrived on Tatooine again after returning from Thabeska. Finding out that Vos was being held at The Citadel was both good and bad news. Unfortunately, Asajj didn't spend any time there during her time as Dooku's apprentice. Ahsoka had infiltrated once before, but that is where the good news ends. They wouldn't be able to break in the same way as last time since the defenses would have been fixed from then and the defenses especially around the cliff that they had scaled.

That infiltration that had in the barest words been successful had been led by Obi Wan and Anakin as well as had several clones and Ahsoka. Then also Master Piell later on. They still lost several clones and a Jedi Master in the escape. This time it would only be Asajj and Ahsoka and a few bounty hunters. They would need to be smarter about getting in and out. On top of that there could be even worse guarding the base. Dooku, Grievous, or Barriss could be there considering it was a Jedi Master they personally captured.

Ahsoka and Asajj had thought through several scenarios of how to get on the planet to the base but had come up with nothing so far.

The two made the familiar walk to the Mos Eisley cantina they had been in just a week before. The three they met with plus a large robot that both bounty hunters knew to be Highsinger and a Kyuzo in a large circular metal hat. Everyone knew who Embo was. In the bounty hunter world he was rated up there among Cad Bane, Boba Fett, and not to seem too conceited but themselves (At least Asajj. They did a good job at keeping Ahsoka hidden.).

They moved to sit down at the table which had two empty seats. As the bounty hunter group had been waiting for them.

"Do you know where your man is being held?" Boba asked as they sat down at the table.

"According to a source of mine he was brought to the Citadel." Asajj answered while also ordering drinks for her and Ahsoka.

The bounty hunters looked up quickly at that. "You want to break someone out of the Citadel? It can't be done." Latts laughed, which was annoyingly high pitched.

"It has already been done once. It can be done again." Interjected Ahsoka who sat back a little happy that everyone shut up and looked at her quickly.

"What do you mean by that misssssy." Asked Bossk.

"I was a part of a mission about three years ago that broke into the Citadel." She answered.

"And you were successful?" The leader of the bounty hunters asked skeptically.

"Well…. Mostly. We went to rescue two prisoners that had important information for the Republic. The information was recovered as well as one of the prisoners. The other prisoner was able to give the information to me before he was killed during the escape." Ahsoka answered the inquiry.

"And how were you able to do that?" Boba asked. Trying to get the information about the defenses at the prison.

"First we had to reprogram some droids to fly in a supply ship so we could be frozen in carbonite since the prison has life sign sensors around the planet so no one could sneak up on them. Then when we got past the initial defenses around the planet, we had to land the ship into a cave and then had to trek across the terrain and climbed up a wall with a powerful wind blowing against it since there were defenses that detected equipment use." Ahsoka continued to outline the previous mission which was not a pleasant experience. Hind sight was 20/20 and Ahsoka no knew there was no way she had been ready for that kind of mission at the time she snuck onto the ship.

Boba nodded along during the mission retelling while figuring out how to do this. He knew there was no way they could use any of what had happened the first time as the defenses would be changed to make sure what the successful prison break did never happened.

When Ahsoka finished the story, they sat in silence for a minute.

"We can do it." Boba said finally. Everyone else looked to him surprised. They may have been some of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy but they were wary about what to do.

"Are you crazy!" Latts said next to him.

Boba smirked at her. He pulled out a piece of paper and put it on the table. "This is what we are going to do." They all looked at him while he outlined his plan to break into the most secure prison in the Separatist territory.

When he finished his plan the people on his team nodded along while both Asajj and Ahsoka looked on dubiously.

"While that is an, admittedly, good plan. It involves a large amount of trust on our side." Asajj added.

"Then you have to trust us or you can walk away." He shrugged and went back to his drink while Asajj and Ahsoka were thinking.

"We should do it." Ahsoka said.

Asajj turned to look at her quickly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Asajj nodded in response. Ahsoka had an uncanny ability to read people. Asajj had learned to start trusting it even if the logical part of her mind said it didn't make sense. But Asajj has known the Force wasn't logical.

"We are in." Asajj answered. Boba nodded.

\---

Asajj and Ahsoka returned to their ship to get their gear for the mission and to make plans for the storage of their ship as they would be taking the Slave on the mission. Ahsoka and Asajj split up and tried to check with a few hangers for long term storage but they were all only temporary storage as Mos Eisley was a port that generally people got in and out of as quickly as possible and anyone else had their own private hangers.

Ahsoka sat down outside a food vendor getting annoyed with her failure. "Why can't I find anywhere to store the ship!"

*Cough*

Ahsoka turned around quickly and saw someone that was somewhat familiar.

"I couldn't help hear about you looking for a place to store a ship." The woman said.

"You're the person I bumped into last week. Beru? Right?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yes. Well I was just going to say if you have some credits, we have a storage area for our farm if you want to fly your ship out there. We can store it there if you want. Moisture farming has been a little slow this year and you seem nice enough." She said with a kind smile.

"I will have to talk to my partner first but that seems like a good idea." Ahsoka said in an upbeat tone at finally finding an option. Beru gave her coordinates to the farm and left to return home since her shopping was done.

\---

Ahsoka returned to the ship and found and annoyed Asajj. "Did you find anything?" Asajj asked.

"I couldn't find a hanger, but then I bumped into that lady from last week who said we could rent out their warehouse on the farm." Ahsoka said.

Asajj nodded and had a relieved smile on her at hearing that. Asajj may not let it be known but her ship was very dear to her. It was the first thing she had truly earned and was not given to her.

\---

The two flew over the farm and landed in the warehouse where Owen, Beru, and a man in a wheel chair was waiting for them.

"Hello, I am Cliegg Lars. This is my son Owen and his wife Beru who you have met." The man in the wheel chair introduced himself and offered a hand. He seemed nice if not a little rough around the edges.

"I am Ahsoka and this is my partner Asajj." Ahsoka took the offered hand. "Thank you for offering up your farm for us to store our ship. We have to be off planet for a couple weeks and can't take it with us." She offered not wanting to give away any details but also trying to nice to the people.

"Its no problem for us. And a few more credits for some of us stuck here is always helpful." The old man laughed. "Owen can bring you back to Mos Eisley in the speeder so you don't have to walk back." He offered.

"Of course." Asajj answered roughly. Keeping up her badass image in front of people she didn't know.

They were led out of the warehouse across the farm to where the speeder was. On their way there Ahsoka noticed something out of the corner of her eye. "What is that she pointed to something sticking out of the ground."

"That is my wife's grave." The old man stated in a somber tone. While the other two looked sad.

"I am so sorry! I didn't mean to bring it up." Ahsoka quickly said feeling bad.

"It's alright. She has been gone for a few years but it doesn't hurt any less when you lose the one you love. Shmi was an amazing woman. She was taken by Tusken Raiders." Cliegg replied.

Ahsoka scowled. She never dealt with Tusken raiders but she knew her master hated them. She was one of the few that knew Anakin was from here…. Shmi. That was Anakin's mothers name.

"Skywalker." Ahsoka mumbled and everyone looked at her in shock. For different reasons.

"What did you say?" The man in the wheel chair replied shocked.

"Shmi Skywalker. That was her name wasn't it." Ahsoka asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes. But how do you know that?" Owen was the one the ask quickly.

Ahsoka looked to Asajj. She trusted her one hundred percent but this wasn't her secrets but that was already out with her stating Shmi's last name.

"I am one of the only people that knows that Anakin was from Tatooine. And he once told me his mother's name was Shmi and that she was dead. And he has an unnatural hatred for Tusken raiders." Ahsoka answered honestly.

"How do you know my step-brother?" Owen asked.

Asajj sat by quite surprised. The secret of Anakin Skywalkers family would be valuable to the world and the just stumbled upon it. Although she would never to that to Ahsoka.

"I used to be a Jedi. I left for personal reasons, but Anakin was the one that trained me. He was like a protective older brother for me." She smiled at reminiscing.

"I only met him the once. He was here when she died with that woman Padme. After they left was around the time the Clone Wars started." Cliegg said. "How is he? I barely know him but he is family."

"I last saw him about two weeks ago. He is doing alright, but fighting in this war for as long as he has is tough." Ahsoka replied honestly. "But we do have to go unfortunately. We are on a time table." Ahsoka replied sadly.

"Of course. You be on your way and we can talk again in a few weeks." Cliegg said.

\---

With that Owen drove the two of them back to Mos Eisley and dropped them off. The two of them walked to the hanger where Boba and the rest were waiting.

"What took so long?" He asked annoyed at waiting.

"We had to find a place to store our ship. Let's get going."

Boba Fett's ship arrived outside of The Citadel before being contacted. By the prison.

"Unauthorized ship. Return to where you came or you will be shot." Said a robotic voice over the comm.

"I have captured the wanted criminals to the Separatist's, Ahsoka Tano and Asajj Ventress. They are tricky prisoners and thought it would be best to bring them straight here so they wouldn't escape." Boba said back into the comm.

"Land on platform two." Said a different voice that was not a robot.

They proceeded to the landing zone. "You were correct on your guess. The warden is so full of himself that he would want one of the people that was able to cause the only prison break so bad that he would overlook how suspicious it is to bring any prisoner here directly." Asajj stated from behind Boba. She was in a chair with Ahsoka next to her with both of their hands in cuffs. "I am surprised you didn't try to capture us with that high of a bounty."

"How do you know that isn't what I am doing now?" Boba asked with an eyebrow raised. Asajj just shrugged.

Boba walked out with Embo, Latts, and the two prisoners in handcuffs. The warden of the prison walked out of the prison with several droids. He was a tall Phindian named Sobeck with a long grey face.

"I would say it is good to see you again Ms. Tano, but it won't be good for you." He laughed at her while she just scowled in her cuffs.

The warden turned to Boba Fett. "It is normal procedure to turn a bounty into a bounty office but considering these two probably would have escaped in transit it is probably best for all that they were brought directly here." Sobeck commented.

"That was my thought exactly. I don't need these two escaping and coming after me to get revenge. Now, about payment." He dropped off looking at the warden meaningfully.

"Of course, come to my office and I can take car of that for you." Sobeck said kindly. He was in a good mood getting such high-level prisoners.

"Embo. Latts. Go with the droids and make sure the prisoners get where they belong." Boba ordered and left with the giddy warden.

Highsinger and Bossk stayed on the ship to guard it while the other three went to complete the mission.

Boba entered the office with the warden who went to the safe to get the money to pay the bounty hunter. When he turned around Boba had his gun on him. "I actually have other plans." Boba smirked.

"You are going to show me which cell you are keeping Quinlan Vos." Sobeck frowned at that. It had been a set up. But there was nothing he could do.

He showed where in the prison Vos was located and then Boba relayed the information to Embo. Boba fired and killed Sobeck before using his codes in the computer system to deactivate the defense systems of the prison so they would be able to escape. He left the office and headed back to the ship.

\---

Embo got the signal it was time to move. He nodded to Latts while he pressed a button that deactivated the cuffs around the two prisoners and took off his hat. He removed a panel which underneath held 4 light-sabers which he returned to the users.

Ahsoka and Asajj quickly dispatched the droids around them with the help of the two hunters.

"Do you know where we need to go." Asajj asked quickly know that the alarms would be sounding quickly.

Embo made a few sounds no one recognized before he pointed down a hallway to his left and started moving with the three others following quickly.

They encountered light resistance going through the halls before turning around the last corner to the cell they needed to get to only to find Barriss waiting with 20 droids.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" She asked with snark.

"I am still wondering where the challenge is." Asajj asked back with a smirk as Barriss frowned. Asajj turned to the side where Ahsoka was standing. "I will take care of her. You free Vos since he probably won't go with me willingly. Embo and Latts. Can you to take care of the droids?"

Everyone nodded at the plan. Ahsoka ran directly at Barriss in what looked like a reckless charge. Barriss and Ahsoka activated their light-sabers at the same time and Barris went to stab at Ahsoka who dodged to the side and used her momentum to go right past Barriss and cut down 5 droids with her light-sabers before continuing down the hall to Vos's cell. Barriss turned to go after her but had to quickly block a overhead slash from two orange light-sabers.

"You will be fighting me." Asajj said with a grin. Blaster fire was going all around them as the two bounty hunters dealt with the 15 battle droids. Neither fired at the battling light-saber wielders in the hallway so they didn't hit their ally.

Ahsoka entered the cell that held Vos she found him shackled to the wall and unconscious. She used the force to unlock the shackles and woke him up.

"Where am I?" He said groggily.

"The Citadel." Ahsoka answered. "We are here to get you out."

"Ahsoka?" He looked confused for a second. "I got captured during the mission and Dooku brought me here." He stated as he was recollecting everything that happened.

"Yes. Just so you know Asajj is here too. But we are getting you out so no fighting with her." She said in her stern voice (which was not stern at all.).

He nodded. "I understand. Anything to get out of here."

"Can you walk?" Ahsoka asked.

Vos stood up shakily but nodded. The two left the cell and came out to see the fight just about over. The droids were down and Asajj blocked an attack to her side and used her free hand to force push Barriss into the wall and knocked her unconscious. Just then the alarm started going before Asajj could finish her off.

Ahsoka and Vos ran down the hall. "Lets hurry." Ahsoka shouted and the group of 5 rushed through the halls taking out droids as they made their way to the landing pad.

There they found Bossk, Boba, and Highsinger holding off 50 battle droids from the ramp up to the ship.

"Get up here already!" yelled Boba as the 8 of them got onto the ship and took off from the prison. With the defenses down it was easy from there.

\---

In a hallway in the prison Barriss slowly regained her senses and stood up. She pulled out her communicator. And a hologram of Count Dooku appeared.

"Vos has been rescued from his cell my lord." Barriss said immediately.

"Was it Kenobi and Skywalker like we thought it would be?" Dooku asked.

Barriss smiled. "No. It was Ahsoka and Ventress."

"Hmm…. That doesn't matter. Everything is going according to plan. And soon enough my newest padawan will be in place when Darth Sidious's plan comes to fruition. The Jedi will fall and I will become Emperor of the galaxy. Not him." Dooku laughed.

Barriss laughed too. The hypocrites will fall.

\---

Back on the ship Vos sat behind the bounty hunters and smiled. His eyes flashed yellow. Everything was going to his masters plan.


	17. Coruscant

The Dark Disciple's Partner

Ahsoka and Asajj went into their room to make contact with Obi-Wan after having successfully escaping from the Citadel. Ahsoka brought out their communicator and a large hologram of Obi-Wan appeared in the middle of the room.

"Kenobi." Sneered Asajj like she always greets the man. It is more of a habit now than anything.

"Ventress. As lovely as ever." Obi-Wan replies in his own sarcastic tone as always.

"If you would stop flirting with my girlfriend, we could inform you that Vos has been freed from the Citadel. We just need a place to meet and drop him off." Ahsoka cut in so the other two wouldn't get into their usual verbal sparring.

Obi-Wan's eyebrows shot up. "Already? That was quicker than I had expected." He brought his hand up to his chin to show he was thinking. "Me and Anakin just finished the clean-up from the campaign on Felucia. If you could meet us on Coruscant in 2 days that would be great." He proposed. Though it could be seen he looked a little relieved at his friends' rescue.

"We will be there." Ahsoka stated before cutting the connection. She turned to Asajj and just glared. "Really? Every time?"

Asajj just shrugged with a smirk. "It's amusing."

Ahsoka sighed before leaving the room to go to the cockpit. She found the bounty hunters and Vos staying there while on their way to Tatooine to get their ship.

"I contacted Obi-Wan. Once we get our ship out deal with you will be done." Ahsoka stated to Boba before turning to Vos. "We will be taking you back to Coruscant. It will only take a couple of days."

Vos nodded. He seemed a little subdued compared to normal but he had been a prisoner to Dooku for over a week. Ahsoka figured she wouldn't be in a happy mood either even if she just got free.

Vos stayed on the ship while Ahsoka and Asajj took a speeder to the Lars farm. Anakin had wanted this part of his life secret and Ahsoka wasn't about to take a Jedi Master to his family farm.

When they arrived, they were greeted by Cliegg Lars and Beru. Owen was out working on some equipment and wouldn't be there to see them.

"How did everything go with your urgent errand?" Cliegg asked as they walked closer to the warehouse where the ship was kept.

"There were a few problems, but nothing we couldn't deal with." Ahsoka answered.

Cliegg only nodded along. He was a simple farmer. He wasn't about to stick his nose into an intergalactic war.

"Your ship is in working order and can leave whenever you want. Just do me a favor. Shmi's boy has a lot of demons inside his head. Just let him know that if there is ever a problem, he has family here." Cliegg asked.

Ahsoka nodded to the request. "I will let him know." She shook the man's hand and went back to the speeder as she had to return it back to the place she rented it while Asajj flew the ship back to Mos Eisley so they could pick up their guest and get back to Coruscant.

\---

Ahsoka arrived back at Mos Eisley to see Asajj paying Boba the second half of the money for the completed mission.

"Does this mean I don't have to see you ever again?" Boba asked Ventress with hope.

"I wouldn't count on it. Besides, who would save your ass when you get in over your head." Asajj commented tauntingly.

Boba just scoffed before tilting his head at the approaching Ahsoka. He turned around and left the hanger to go back to his team to get drinks at the cantina as they had quite the payday.

"Time to go to Coruscant." Ahsoka told Asajj as they boarded their ship.

Vos was already strapped into his chair waiting for them. When Ventress entered he looked at her before averting his gaze. He sighed deeply before finally speaking. "I am sorry for ruining the mission. I just attacked you for revenge when we needed to focus on stopping Dooku."

Asajj looked at the Jedi in surprise. "Its fine. I killed your Master. You are allowed to be angry. I would be more worried about how Dooku was ready for you. He knew you would be there and knew how to play you against us. He is always one step ahead."

"The Jedi are forbidden attachments and should be able to let go of those we lose." Vos recited.

"You aren't going to get anywhere reciting that shit in this ship." Asajj replied to the Jedi.

He nodded as if remembering the fact that he was talking to people that left the ways of the Jedi and Sith behind.

\---

The rest of the flight back to Coruscant was made in silence. After making it through all of the checks required of landing in the upper levels of Coruscant, they put the ship down on a landing for the Jedi temple. Asajj let out a large sigh.

Ahsoka turned to look at her. "What's wrong?"

"I've never been here before." Asajj said looking out the window at the imposing walls.

When the three of them exited the ship they were greeted by Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Yoda.

"Glad to have you back with us, we are." The grandmaster commented to the returned Jedi master.

"It is good to be here Master Yoda." He replied with a respectful bow. He turned to Obi-Wan and gave the man a hug. "Thanks for the help.'

"You would have done the same for me, old friend." He replied with a smile.

Anakin walked up to Ahsoka with a nervous smile. "Could I talk to you alone for a second Snips?"

Ahsoka looked back at Asajj who shrugged. She turned back to back to her former master and agreed as the two walked of to the side.

Asajj who watched them go was startled out of her thoughts by Yoda.

"Thankful, we are." He stated to the former Sith.

"It was just another job." She stated not really wanting to deal with this.

"Of course. The Job was not what I was speaking of. A grave mistake the council made." Yoda stated looking to Ahsoka.

Asajj looked at her partner as well. "I am not really one for trusting in the force, but I think it was all meant to happen and that Ahsoka is where she belongs. Even if it sounds selfish." Asajj answered. It would sound selfish if she said she was glad Ahsoka was wrongly accused and driven from the order.

"Correct, you may be. The Force works in ways that even I can not see." He stated before turning to look at the former Sith handing her a device.

Asajj took it confused. "What is this?"

"Your pardon has been put through. I would offer the student of Master Narec a place here, but your answer would be obvious." Yoda answered before turning and walking away.

At that point Ahsoka walked up looking just as confused as Asajj. "What was that about?" Ahsoka asked.

"He gave me a pardon." Asajj answered in awe still trying to understand it.

"Wow." Ahsoka said with a sudden smile. She hugged Asajj squealing.

Asajj just laughed at Ahsoka's antics.

*Cough*

They turned to see Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Vos watching them with amusement.

"You will be on your way then?" Kenobi assumed.

"We have things to take care of." Ahsoka stated seriously before stealing a glance and Anakin.

"I see…" Obi-Wan replied. "Don't be strangers. With your pardon you are able to return here without problems."

"With how often you and Skyguy get in trouble we will be called to come and save you often enough." Ahsoka's sarcasm was obvious.

It got a laugh out of everyone before the two bounty hunters boarded their ship and took flight.

"Where to now?" Asajj asked.

"Malachor." Ahsoka stated seriously.

Asajj looked to her partner suddenly. "Why do we need to go there again?"

Ahsoka looked down at the item in her hand that Anakin had given her.

Flashback

Anakin had just taken Ahsoka aside. "What is so important you need to speak to me alone?" Ahsoka asked a little annoyed at having to leave Asajj knowing that her partner was feeling uncomfortable at the Jedi Temple.

Anakin gave a deep sigh before looking around and placed something in her hand. Ahsoka looked down and saw a microchip.

"A few days ago, a clone went insane and killed his Jedi General." Ahsoka got an alarmed look. Anakin continued knowing how surprising it was. "The Kaminoans stated it was a virus and the clone died. Fives thought it was suspicious and investigated it and said there was something else going on." Anakin looked down for a moment. "Next thing I know Fives was killed for trying to kill the Chancellor. The 'experts' stated he had the virus too." Ahsoka had a horrified gasp at this. She had worked with Fives for a long time. He was a close friend of hers. "Before his death he kept talking about a conspiracy and a chip." At that Ahsoka looked down to the chip in her hand. "Most people past it off as nothing but Rex looked into it. He found that he had a chip implanted in his brain. He checked several clones to see if they had it as well and they did. Rex had Kix remove the chip and gave it to me to look into." Anakin looked around again. "If there is a conspiracy, I don't want to be stopped from finding out what this really is. The Kaminoans and members of the Republic have gone to great lengths to cover this up. That combined with Dooku knowing about our mission to assassinate him…."

Ahsoka didn't need him to finish the sentence to figure out what Anakin was inferring. Someone high up in the Republic didn't want the Jedi to look too far into the clones and were helping Dooku. That was concerning.

"I will look into it." Ahsoka promised. She was friends with far too many clones to let something happen to them or let them be used in some plot.

Anakin sighed in relief. "Thank you."

Ahsoka went to go back to Asajj before remembering something. Turning back to her former master. "I was to give a message to you. 'Shmi's boy will always be welcome with family.'" Ahsoka saw his mouth drop before going back to Asajj. 

Flashback end

Asajj sat still thinking about what Ahsoka had just told her. It would explain some of the things she had seen during her time with Dooku. He seemed to know just a little too much about the Republic's movements.

"Why are we going to Malachor? You explained that we needed to look into this chip but not why we need to go to Malachor." Asajj asked.

"There was a large computer there with a lot of information as well as more to the library. If something is going on involving a Sith Lord that Dooku is willing to bow too then we are going to need to train. Also, I think there was something more to why Revan chose to impart his knowledge now. He probably had plenty of years to show himself to people who could sympathize with him. There has to be a reason why we needed this knowledge now." Ahsoka answered with determination.

"Let's return to Malachor." Asajj agreed curious of where this was going. She had wondered about Revan as well.


	18. Malachor Again

Ahsoka and Asajj landed on Malachor near the temple they had been to before. They found the entrance and made their way through the temple back to where they had found Revan the last time through. They once again had the weird feeling that led them to the secret room in the center of the temple.

They arrived and saw the table that had held the holo-table of Revan was still fried. They passed it by and went to the library with all the ancient texts of force abilities. Asajj left to browse through a few of the areas to try and find anything more on force abilities as last time they were here they only gathered a few basics on the Force and mostly gathered information on light-saber forms.

Ahsoka found a holo terminal and went to work analyzing the chip Anakin gave her. Ahsoka was able to access the chip fairly easily. Thanks to its small size, there is only so much that could be on it and the security on the chip was focused on remote access. Apparently, whoever designed it thought it was unlikely that anyone would open up a clone's head.

What Ahsoka found when she opened up the files on the chip was disturbing. She went through all of them and found it to be a list of 100 different directives that could override a clone's own decision-making center. Basically, this chip could turn every clone into a programmable droid. That was a terrifying thought.

What was the most terrifying though, was the pre-loaded directives or numbered orders. Some of them were somewhat understandable even if the idea was inhumane. But several of the orders that were put into the clones. Ahsoka went over the ones that terrified her the most and highlighted them for the report she would be sending to Anakin.

Order 26: Seek and assassinate every Senator in the Republic for treason.

Order 34: Place bombs and destroy all Jedi Temples.

Order 52: Execute every prisoner of war currently in custody.

Order 66: Find and kill every Jedi or anyone associated with the Jedi temple.

Order 83: Kill any reigning power on a specified planet.

Order 99: Attack any and all citizens of nearby cities.

Ahsoka was worried about how the Kaminoans had programmed every clone with this. There were millions of them all over the galaxy. And there was someone high ranking backing them up. The clones needed to have this removed immediately.

That was when Ahsoka noticed a single terrifying fact at the bottom of the code. The chip's code stated that the only person that could even activate any of these orders was Sheev Palpatine. It would make sense since he is the Chancellor, but it would make more sense if the order was to be followed by The Chancellor rather than his name. It would mean that he could activate the orders if he was kicked from office and the new chancellor couldn't. And worst of all is that these chips had to have been implanted close to birth. Ahsoka knew that Rex was one of the first batches and was born in 31 BBY. This meant that this chip was implanted 9 years before the Republic supposedly found out about the Clone Army.

If Palpatine was behind the plot to hide this information it could mean he was in league with the Separatists. Ahsoka had heard that the Clone Army was secretly commissioned by Jedi Master Sifo-Diyas. Ahsoka remembered hearing a rumor that Sifo-Diyas was close with Dooku. If the Clone Army has been a plot this entire time and Palpatine was working with the Sith… Then this entire war has been a fabrication to get the Clone Army where they want it….. Next to every single Jedi in the galaxy.

Ahsoka's eyes zeroed in on Order 66 and she gulped.

She wanted to get this to the Jedi council, but if there was a traitor like she thought, then that meant the Chancellor could activate it before they could react in time.

"Hey." Came Asajj's voice suddenly from behind her. Ahsoka jumped 10 feet in the air. (Not an exaggeration. She really did jump 10 feet in the air.) Ahsoka had forgotten where she was.

"You scared me." Ahsoka said after she landed holding a hand over her heart.

Asajj shrugged. "You looked like you saw a ghost."

Ahsoka shuddered as she went back to the terminal. "We will all be a ghost if we don't figure this out." Ahsoka gestured to the information she had up along with the highlights she had set aside.

Asajj looked it over while paling even more than her natural color. "That…. How is this even real?"

"I know. Palpatine has to be working with the Sith." Ahsoka said worriedly. At any point in time the Jedi could be sent into extinction.

Asajj shook her head. "You don't understand. Dooku said that his master had everyone fooled. That his master was right under the Jedi's nose and they didn't even know it. Ahsoka, I think Palpatine is Darth Sidious." Asajj confessed gravely.

"You are correct." Came a familiar voice from behind them.

"Revan?" Ahsoka asked confused. He had the look of a holo image like before except he was standing on the ground and the holo-table they had used before had shorted out.

"Yes." Revan answered calmly.

"You are not a holo are you?" Asajj asked coming to the same conclusion as Ahsoka.

"No. I am a Force ghost. Some of those that are strong enough in the Force are able to keep our individuality within the Force and appear to those amongst the living to teach and pass our knowledge a long." He informed them.

"While that is interesting and would be something cool to learn, I think it would be more important to explain why you are here and what the knowledge you wish to pass on its." Asajj pointed out.

Revan smiled. "Yes. When you first came here, it was explained to you why you were chosen to come here and learn what I have. That you two were two people who could learn to walk in the middle. That there is more to the Force than dark and light….. That was only partially true." Ahsoka and Asajj narrowed their eyes at the cryptic ghost in front of them. They have had enough of people lying and using them. "It is true for one of the reasons but not the whole reason. Did you two really think that you two were the only ones in nearly 4000 years?"

The two of them looked a little abashed but still annoyed.

"I have sworn to destroy the Emperor of the Sith during my time. The wars between the Sith and Jedi were brutal, but the Sith Emperor was on another level. Vitiate was a monster that manipulated not only the Sith, but the Jedi as well. He played all sides to take over the galaxy. He may have got away with it if he had not been exposed. Palpatine has been on the rise. He worked his way to the head of the Republic without suspicion and is posed to end the war and bring the entire galaxy under his control. That chip you posses will make it so he can get rid of the Jedi with it. I have sworn to destroy the Sith Emperor and the reason you are here is because there is a new one to destroy and I will need you two to help do it." Revan explained.

Ahsoka and Asajj were surprised. Ahsoka had heard the stories about Vitiate. To think that Palpatine is on his level is terrifying. And worse is that Revan expects her to go up against something like that.

"What about Anakin?" She asked suddenly. "He was supposed to be the chosen one. The one to bring balance to the Force." She asked a little desperately.

Revan looked to Ahsoka in an understanding manner. "I know. Anakin is destined to bring balance like I was destined to destroy the Sith. Anakin is far too much like me and I am afraid he is precariously close to following the same path. My power was impressive and surpassed the Jedi. They feared me and used me as their weapon at the same time. They do that to Skywalker now. Vitiate captured me and used me as his weapon as well. From what I can tell Skywalker is on that path now."

"Anakin would never turn dark!" Ahsoka argued.

Revan looked at her with pity. "Between the fact that the council exiled you with out evidence and everything going on with the Senator, do you really think that he wouldn't leave the order. Palpatine has been such a kind and trustworthy confidant, hasn't he?" Revan said knowingly.

Ahsoka's jaw dropped open in horror. "The trial. It felt like Palpatine wanted me executed. He wanted me gone. It was fixed. He wants to isolate Anakin and turn him against the Jedi. That's why he hasn't done it yet. Anakin isn't ready yet." Ahsoka mumbled.

"What are you talking about?" Asajj asked.

"Palpatine want's the chosen one under his control." Ahsoka bit out. "The clones have been in position to wipe out the Jedi for 3 years. He could have activated it anytime he wants. He is grooming Anakin and turning him against the Jedi." Ahsoka explained.

"Yes. Anakin is destined to bring balance. I, with the help of you two are going to make sure that the galaxy doesn't go through the same destruction it went through to bring balance when I was alive." Revan explained.

Ahsoka looked questioning to her partner as they sat in the room full of information. Asajj knew what they were going to have to do now. "We have some serious training to do."

The two of them had learned a lot and gotten much stronger, but they would not be able to contend against someone that was Dooku's master.

Ahsoka called Anakin about the chip first. It would be a long process to remove the chips from the clones. Especially since they needed to do it secretly. Ahsoka couldn't tell Anakin about Palpatine though.

"Did you look it over?" Anakin asked instantly answering the communication.

"Yes. It is a control chip. It takes away their free will. There is a specific program on there telling the clones to kill all Jedi. Tup's chip didn't malfunction. It went off prematurely." Ahsoka explained gravely.

Anakin's face went through many emotions. And was about to say something. Before Ahsoka shut him up.

"Fives was killed when he almost exposed this Anakin. You can't talk to anyone about this. Get everyone in the 501st to remove the chip. Have Kix extract them without anyone knowing. Get the Jedi you trust to do it with their troops as well." She told him.

Anakin looked a little uncertain. "How could this happen?" He asked

"The Clone Armies construction was always a mystery. The Kaminoans claimed Sifo-Diyas commissioned it, but no one knows what happened to him." Ahsoka explained feeling bad about stretching the truth to her former faster. "The Kaminoans are obviously a part of this. But if they are a part of this, they are working for someone. Someone who had power in the Republic to cover it up. Someone who could be in league with Dooku."

"And they could have a button that could gain an Army, Destroy the Jedi, and take the Republic." He said in shock.

Ahsoka nodded in agreement.

He got an angry look. "We need to go to Kamino to find out who is behind this."

"No!" She shouted urgently surprising him. "If you do that it could tip them off. If they activate the chip we are done. You need to remove them from the clones first. Get as many out as you can as discreetly as you can. Talk to Obi-Wan. He would agree."

Ahsoka didn't think she and Obi-Wan were as close as they once were, but she had no suspicions that he was a traitor and secretly a Sith.

"Fine." He agreed. Finding it weird he was taking direction from his former padawan.

"Call me if you need anything. I can help with whatever is coming. I don't think this war will last much longer." Ahsoka said worryingly. "I don't know if that is a good thing."

The call ended before returning to the library where Asajj had gathered ancient texts to study. She noticed Ahsoka arriving and looked up. "I grabbed what I figure would be most useful. If we plan on going up against a Sith Lord, we need to perfect our light-saber techniques as well as learn how to combat force techniques common to the Sith."

Ahsoka nodded in agreement. Ahsoka had barely started on working on the techniques of Trakata. It was a technique that was really good at catching opponents off guard. If Palpatine was really as powerful as they were being led to believe, then it is likely that they wouldn't be stronger than him with the practice. They needed to out think and out trick and evil mastermind that had the entire galaxy in their pocket.

There was another ability that Ahsoka always thought was interesting and wanted to learn as well. That was the ability to manipulate a light-saber with Force telekinesis. Most Jedi could use this in a basic sense such as calling it to them or throwing it. Ahsoka wanted to learn it to a level approaching Darth Traya.

Asajj delved deeper into refining her style of Makashi and Jar'Kai. She also studied techniques of the Sith that involved using the dark side of the Force to infect those around them. Revan mentioned how Vitiate was able to turn him and almost possess him and use him as a puppet. Asajj wanted to make sure she knew how to combat that so it wouldn't happen to her and maybe then she could stop those around her from falling to the same fate.

They practice dueling against each other every day with Revan overseeing them and giving them tips on how to improve. He pointed out openings in each of their forms

It was two months of training later that they received a transmission from Anakin. They knew that this would be the beginning of what would either save or destroy the Republic. And Ahsoka wasn't exactly sure which one she was working for.

Anakin appeared to be angry when he was revealed on the holo. "Dooku has been captured."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter is up. I decided not to spend to much time on the training this time around. Starting next chapter aligns with the beginning of Revenge of the Sith. And before anyone asks why Dooku is captured instead of killed. It will be explained in the next chapter.
> 
> If you have any suggestions leave a review.


	19. Chapter 19

The Dark Disciple's Partner

"That sounds like a good thing." Ahsoka says confused by why Anakin seems angry about Dooku's capture through the transmission.

"It is." He pauses before continuing. "Did you think I wouldn't look at the chips when we started removing them." He asked. Ahsoka gulped knowing where this was going. "You think it is Palpatine." He said more than asked. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Yes." She admitted. "He organized it all. He was the one that pushed the Jedi to expel me and put me on trial."

"He wouldn't do that!" Anakin argued back. But Ahsoka could see the uncertainty.

"If the clones are a Sith plot, then why did Dooku make sure the orders could only be given by Palpatine?" Ahsoka asked quietly.

Anakin was silent for a moment and looked pensive. "He tried to get me to kill Dooku." Anakin admitted. "Why would he do that if they worked together?"

"What are you talking about? What happened?" She asked suddenly.

"Seperatist agents kidnapped the chancellor. Obi- Wan and I went to rescue him. We were able to defeat Dooku and rescue the chancellor but he tried to order me to kill Dooku rather than take him prisoner. If they are working together why would he do that?" Anakin asked.

Ahsoka thought about it for a second and knew exactly what Palpatine wanted. She looked to Anakin with a pitying look.

"What? What is it?" Anakin asked urgently.

"It was something that we had suspected, but I didn't want it to be true." Ahsoka admitted looking down. She had hoped that Anakin wouldn't find out. But Anakin deserved answers. "I think Palpatine has been trying to groom you to be his apprentice." Ahsoka told him.

"That's ridiculous! I'd never do that!" Anakin argued.

"I know you are frustrated with the Jedi." Ahsoka pointed out. "The trial against me, hiding your relationship with Padme, and so many other things."

"Palpatine pushed to have me join the council. The Jedi refused to make me a master though." Anakin told her annoyed.

"Well that is messed up. Palpatine is interfering with Jedi order and you are on the council without the title of master. Palpatine has been trying to drive a wedge between you and the Order." Ahsoka argued. Although she could see that Palpatine didn't have to work that hard to do it. What Revan had told her and Asajj was turning out to be true.

"I know, but that doesn't mean what they did was right." Anakin argued.

"No, it doesn't." Ahsoka agreed. "How many of the troopers have had their chips removed?" Ahsoka asked trying to change the subject.

"The 501st, 212th, 104th, 327th, and the 41st." Anakin told her.

"Such a small amount. That's not even a tenth of the army." Ahsoka muttered.

"There is only so much we can do without attracting attention." Anakin defended.

"We have your company as well as Obi-Wan's, Master Secura, Master Koon, and Master Unduli. Are they all in on what is going on?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yes. Master Ti was also keeping an eye on the Kaminoans for us, but she was killed by General Grievous." Anakin told her.

Ahsoka felt a pain in her chest. She had always looked up to Master Ti growing up. Ahsoka wanted to be on the council like her as such a highly respected Togruta. "I see."

"With Dooku in custody we need to make our move." Anakin stated the reason he had called. "We need to make it soon before the Separatists are under new control."

"What about Grievous? With Dooku gone he would be in charge." Ahsoka inquired.

"Obi-Wan has gone to Utapau. He will stop Grievous there. While that is going on and Dooku is in custody we can make a move against Palpatine." Anakin told her. Even though it looked painful to admit that Palpatine had been an enemy.

"I agree. Obi-Wan has the 212th with him to stop Grievous so that won't be affected even if the order goes out and the 501st will be on Coruscant to help deal with any fallout." Ahsoka thought through it out loud.

"We were going to tell the council and hopefully see how they react." Anakin told her.

Ahsoka nodded in agreement. "We will be on our way to try to be of any help." Ahsoka told him. "Keep me posted on anything if you can." Ahsoka told him before the communication was cut out.

She returned to their living area where Asajj had been waiting during her call with Anakin.

"What did Skywalker have to tell us?" Asajj asked.

Ahsoka let out a deep breath before sitting on the couch that Asajj had been on and rested her head on Asajj's shoulder. "It is going to happen. And it is going to happen within the next few days."

Asajj just nodded. "Things are about to get exciting." She said with apprehension. The operation on Mandalore seemed easy compared to this.

Ahsoka nodded her head against Asajj's shoulder. "He seemed so angry. I am worried what could happen."

"Whatever happens, you always got me." Asajj comforted her.

"Thank you." Ahsoka said quietly as she fell asleep.

The two of them packed their bags and got their ship ready to leave before Revan gave them a final warning.

"Be careful. Even if he knows Palpatine is evil it may not save him. The Sith always have another trick up their sleeve."

Asajj nodded to him while Ahsoka looked uncomfortable. While she stepped onto their ship, she had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

\---

They were traveling through light-space on their way to Coruscant when another communication came through.

"Anakin?" Ahsoka asked since Anakin looked a little disheveled. "What happened at the meeting?"

"The other masters were angry that we had known about this for so long before telling them. They sent a contingent of Jedi to go after Palpatine, but I don't think they understand how strong he is." Anakin told her.

"Who did they send?" Ahsoka asked.

"Windu, Fisto, Kolar, and Tiin." Anakin told her.

"They are skilled masters in combat. They should be able to do it." Ahsoka assured him even is she was unsure. She knew how powerful Windu was, but Palpatine was an unknown.

"I am going to go help. I can do something if they can't" Anakin told her. "Just land at the temple and we will meet you there when it its done." He cut off the communication before they could reply.

The two in the cockpit of the ship were silent for a minute.

"He didn't look good. He seemed a little unhinged." Asajj told her lover.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Ahsoka said. Ahsoka couldn't do anything about what was going on from where she was. If only Obi-Wan had still been there. He could have talked to Anakin. He would have been able to get him to relax and stand down. "We need to hurry."

\---

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the temple. They landed on a platform after getting clearance from the guards since they were expected. When they left the ship, they were met with not a Jedi, but a clone trooper. Ahsoka would have been worried if she didn't notice the markings for the 501st on the familiar figure.

"Rex. It is good to see you again." Ahsoka walked up to the trooper and embraced him.

"It's good to see you too commander." He replied. Ahsoka didn't need to see under the helmet to know that her friend was smiling.

He looked over Ahsoka's shoulder. "Ventress."

"Clone." Was her reply.

"Play nice you two." Ahsoka commanded playfully. She turned to the trooper. "Why are you at the temple?" Ahsoka asked.

"The General wanted us here just in case of an attack since we got our heads on straight." He said tapping is helmet without saying what he really meant since they were still in public.

Ahsoka nodded before noticing a familiar figure approaching.

"Master Unduli." Ahsoka greeted with a nod of the head.

"Ahsoka. It is good to see you again. I never got to apologize for what my apprentice did." She admitted with a painful grimace.

Ahsoka set her hand on her shoulder. "It is alright. It isn't your fault." Ahsoka said.

Luminara nodded before looking to Ahsoka's partner. "And it is a….. pleasure to see you again Ms. Ventress." Luminara said as cordially as she could. Her loss to the assassin a few years ago was still a sore spot for the master.

Ventress just gave her a fanged grin. Ahsoka sighed at her partner's behavior. "Would it hurt you to be a little nice?"

Asajj nodded. "Yes. Just 'cause I like you and might get along with a couple of the others doesn't mean I am all buddy buddy with the entire order all of a sudden."

"I know." Ahsoka smiled actually confusing Luminara. Ahsoka knew that most of the anger Asajj had toward the order was actually on her behalf. The group of 4 started walking through the temple which Ahsoka noticed was unusually quiet. Some people were still moving around but not as many as there used to be. Ahsoka turned again to address the master. "Where is everyone?" She asked her.

"Everyone else from the council is off world or went to confront Palpatine. Many of the knights and masters are out on missions and the younglings are in lessons at the moment." Luminara stated.

"They still aren't back from Palpatine?" Ahsoka asked worriedly. It had been a couple of hours since Anakin had called her. "Something had to have happened. We need to go over there now." She said urgently. The warning in the force was blaring.

The group of four had reached the front of the temple when they heard a communication call. The three Jedi looked to the clone standing with them. Rex answered the call and they all saw the hunched figure of Palpatine looking not well.

"The Jedi have attempted to assassinate me. They have turned traitors to the Republic. Execute Order 66." The communication cutoff and the four sat in silence after hearing that.

Then they heard it. It was quiet and in the distance at first. But it was the sound of a large battalion marching. The four of them could see the sea of white coming closer. At the front were two figures cloaked in black hoods with hate rolling off of them.

"Rex. Get the men ready." Ahsoka ordered as she reached to get a hold of her sabers.

\---

2 hours earlier.

Anakin set his communicator down and went off to find a speeder to follow after Master Windu. He knew that the battle wouldn't be this easy. And part of him didn't trust Windu. Master Windu always rubbed him the wrong way.

It took Anakin a few minutes before he arrived at the senate building. He made his way up to the Chancellor's office and what he found was disturbing. There were the bodies of the three Jedi that accompanied Master Windu at the front of the office. Anakin brought out his light-saber. He walked slowly into the room when he found the Chancellor. He looked hurt but was being helped up by Master Vos. This confused Anakin as he didn't know that he was supposed to go along with Master Windu. Anakin spotted the shattered window and the destroyed room before his eyes laid on the severed arm on the floor.

Suddenly Anakin was enveloped in pain before he fell unconscious on the floor. From behind Anakin, where the force lightning he was hit with originated from, came Count Dooku.

\---

"I believe you wished to see me master." Dooku said.

Palpatine looked over before seeing Anakin on the ground. The fight with Windu had been more difficult than he had anticipated so he had not noticed the boy arriving.

"Good." He said with a menacing smile. "He may still be of some use to us yet."

"What are we doing now? Is it time to enact the plan?" Dooku asked.

"Patience my apprentice." Palpatine turned to the other one in the room. "Vos. You have done well in your subterfuge."

"The Jedi had discovered your plot and started removing chips. I made sure most of the units with their chips removed are away from Coruscant." Vos stated in a menacing tone. "Only the 501st remain here."

"Good. Get 5 battalions together using my emergency codes. I want them ready before giving out the order. The two of you will lead the attack on the temple. Today is the day the Jedi die." He finished with a dark chuckle.

"What about Skywalker?" Dooku asked looking at the boy on the ground.

"Leave that to me." He replied.

"Of course, Master." Dooku replied. Dooku and Vos left the room to complete their orders.

Shortly after that Mas Almeda entered the room unphased by the destruction, bodies, and the severed arm.

"Is everything alright sir. Is there anything I can do?" He asked.

"No that is alright. Just leave me be." He ordered. Almeda bowed and turned to leave out the door. "Wait. On second thought. Can you tell the Senator from Naboo that I need to see her? Tell her it is urgent."

Almeda left with a nod.

The plan may not be going perfectly, but that didn't mean he was at a disadvantage.

Padme had arrived to take in the destruction before she was unconscious. Palpatine sat in his office waiting for the other one he called.

When she entered the room, she got down on one knee. "What can I do for you Master."

"You will travel to Mustafar. The Separatist leaders have served their purpose. You will take care of them." Palpatine ordered. She nodded and stood up to complete her orders. "And Barriss. Take her with you. Keep her restrained and alive. She will make a good hostage to keep Skywalker in line."

Barriss's smile didn't match her kind face. But the chance at hurting Skywalker was too good to pass up. She took the senator away from the office.

Palpatine was once alone again thinking over all of his plans trying to find any holes. He heard a beep and answered the call to find Dooku.

"Master we are ready." Dooku told him immediately.

"Then commence your attack." Palpatine told him. He ended the call before sending out a message to every clone commander.

"The Jedi have attempted to assassinate me. They have turned traitors to the Republic. Execute Order 66."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it has finally begun. I am a little annoyed with myself as I feel I haven't had enough Ventress in this story as I wanted. Especially recently. She will play a bigger part in the up coming fights but I am excited to see where this takes me. Even I don't know who will come out of this.
> 
> Once again if you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a review for the story.
> 
> Thank you.


	20. Order 66

The Dark Disciple's Partner

"The Jedi have attempted to assassinate me. They have turned traitors to the Republic. Execute Order 66." The recording died out and Cody looked up to Kenobi who was standing in front of him.

"Sir. You know what this means right?" The Commander stated.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. He could feel several Jedi life forces ending already. "Send out the messages. All Jedi off Coruscant will meet at the rendezvous we have planned for." Obi Wan said before he started to walk away.

"What are you going to do sir?" Cody asked.

"I need to contact the Temple." Obi Wan stated.

\---

On Mygeeto

Master Mundi was leading a charge when heard the troops stop behind him. He turned to find the clone troopers stopped and raising their weapons at him. He acted quickly and blocked as many shots as he could before jumping off a nearby ledge. He had taken one shot in the shoulder but had made it out alive. If it wasn't for the warning at the council meeting earlier he would not have reacted quickly enough.

He pulled out his communicator as he received a message from Commander Cody on a rendezvous location.

\---

On Felucia

"Sir. Order 66 has just been declared." Commander Bly reported to Master Secura as they stood in a dense forest.

"Pull the men back. We will be going to the meeting point." She replied.

"Yes sir." The clone replied.

\---

On Kashyyyk

Yoda looked on sadly to the clones that had just tried to kill him. He did not see this coming and the Jedi were going to pay for it dearly. He went with the Wookies to get off world.

\---

On Cato Neimoida

Master Plo Koon was flying his ship when he got word from Commander Wolfe that the order had gone out and he pulled the troops back to decide what to do next.

\---

At the Temple

Ahsoka watched the approaching army with trepidation. The power of the two leading it was worryingly and there were 10x the number of clones than the 501st.

"The one on the right is Dooku. I can feel something familiar from the one on the left but I can't quite identify it." Asajj stated keeping her eyes locked on Dooku.

"The alarm is set. Make sure the younglings escape." Ordered a strong voice.

Ahsoka and Asajj both turned to see the well-known battle Master Cin Drallig, who had dozens of Temple guards behind him.

"We can help!" Ahsoka argued.

"You have done enough Tano. Your job is to make sure the children escape." He ordered firmly. Master Luminara nodded in agreement to the order.

Ahsoka looked at Rex who was barking orders to the men into his radio. "I will be alright commander." He told her.

Ahsoka grabbed Asajj's arm and pulled her into the Temple as she followed reluctantly as she wanted to go after Dooku. Ahsoka could hear blaster fire and light-sabers clashing as she ran through the Temple. Ahsoka entered one of the teaching rooms and found several younglings. They were cowering behind chairs.

"It's alright." Ahsoka said kindly. "We have a way out of here if you follow us." She held out her hand the scared children.

She led them out to the hall where they could see the attack was still on going. There were several explosions going off in the entrance area and Ahsoka could see several bodies on the ground and they were not all clones. Ahsoka closed her eyes and let out a breath. She needed to focus.

"Down this way." Ahsoka told the kids as she led them down the halls searching for all the kids. Asajj checked the rooms as they passed by to try and find any others. They picked up other children along the way along with some of the younger padawans. All knights and masters were moving to fight against the attack. Several people were running around and the explosions and the blasters were now coming from all sides. As Ahsoka had to cut down several clones. When they turned a corner, they came across the body of Luminara. There were no blaster shots. She had a large light-saber slash across the chest.

Tears were in Ahsoka's eyes at the lifeless body of someone she saw as a friend. Ahsoka felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Asajj looking at her. "We need to keep moving Ahsoka." She gestured to the group of 45 children that were crying and looking at the destruction.

Ahsoka nodded and tried to quietly lead the kids to the hanger bay. She made it around another corner and saw something that was a welcome sight. Cin Drallig, while looking winded and wounded. Had 3 temple guards with him as he had one of the cloaked men on the ground.

"An attack like this will not go unpunished." The Battle Master stated as he raised his light-saber to deliver the final blow before he was stabbed in the back suddenly by one of the guards. Cin Drallig fell to the ground dead.

The other two temple guards turned to attack the traitorous guard before they were thrown across the hall and slammed into the wall. The cloaked man stood up slowly and turned Ahsoka's way.

Ahsoka turned to the younglings. "Get to the hanger quickly!" She looked to Asajj. "You need to take them." Ahsoka stated.

Asajj glared at her. "I am not leaving you alone here."

"One of us has to protect them." Ahsoka argued.

"Then you take the brats. I am up for a fight." Asajj boasted.

Ahsoka glared.

"Both of you take the kids." Stated a figure that had just walked out of one of the computer rooms and arrived behind them. Ahsoka recognized the woman and her apprentice that was standing with her as Depa Billaba and Caleb Dume. They both had a determined look. "I will hold them off. You can take my apprentice with you."

The young boy looked to his master shocked. "I am staying and fighting with you."

"You will leave with Tano, Caleb." Depa ordered. Before turning to intercept the Sith.

"Move." Ahsoka told the group. She led them all through the halls and finally made it to the hanger that housed Asajj's ship.

"Get aboard quickly." Ahsoka told the kids as they quickly filed their way onto the small ship.

A group of clones suddenly burst through the door leading 10 padawans with them and Ahsoka recognized some of them. "Katooni!" She shouted.

Katooni led the other padawans over which consisted of the rest of the others she had brought on the gathering.

"Ahsoka! What's going on? What are we going to do!?" Katooni asked on the brink of hysterical.

"Get on the ship." Asajj told the padawans. Suddenly there was an explosion at the door of the hanger that killed several of the 501st clones that had escorted the padawans in.

Count Dooku walked through the door as confident as ever with dozens of clones behind him. "Tano and Ventress. You have been quite the thorn in our side as of late." He stated.

Dooku brandished his lightsaber as he looked at the two of them. The remaining clones of the 501st had been defeated quickly.

Dooku was the first to attack as he went after Asajj. The clones he brought with directed their fire toward Ahsoka to keep her away from the fight and Ahsoka had to dodge and block before finding cover and hoping that Asajj was doing well.

Dooku pushed an over hand slash which Asajj blocked quickly before countering with a with a kick to his knee, which caused the old man to flinch back and gave him a small limp. No matter how skilled he was, his age was catching up to him making his reflexes slower. It also helped Asajj that Dooku had probably fought a few Jedi Masters before getting here. But she could not turn this into a long fight as they needed to get out of here quickly.

She pushed her advantage and landed several powerful slashes which were all blocked but it took more strength then Dooku would have liked to use. "It looks like you finally got better. If you had shown this kind of promise earlier, I wouldn't have had to get rid of you." He pushed back before landing a quick attack on her leg that caused Asajj to hiss and limp back quickly. She looked over and saw that Ahsoka had taken down most of the clones by now, but wouldn't be there quick enough to help her.

Dooku looked smug before lunging at her Asajj used her left saber to use a quick block that moved Dooku's attack to miss her slightly to the left while she brought her other blade up and removed his hand that held the saber.

Dooku yelled out as he dropped the floor. Asajj didn't hesitate as she spun around and put both of her light-sabers through his chest. "If you weren't such a failure of a master, you would have succeeded in getting rid of me." Asajj retorted as Dooku fell to the ground dead.

Asajj huffed as she limped over to where an exhausted Ahsoka had finished off the clones that came in with Dooku.

"Are you alright." Ahsoka asked.

"I don't feel any different." Asajj replied.

"What did you think you would feel like?" Ahsoka asked.

"Relieved. Happy." Asajj replied. She shook her head. This was not the place for this. "We need to go."

Ahsoka nodded. Suddenly both of them were thrown up against the ship with the force. Both looked to see the figure that had fought Cin Drallig.

"You fought well." He stated. "But this will be the end." He lowered his hood to reveal Quinlann Vos. He ignited his light saber and slowly walked across the hanger over Dooku's body to where they were. They could see how yellow his eyes had gone showing his descent to the dark side. When he was almost there he was hit by a flash of blue and fell over. Asajj and Ahsoka fell to the ground and slowly rose as they were both wounded and tired. They looked to see Vos in a brawl with an unexpected figure.

Rex landed a punch on the Sith that had attacked the temple. That had been responsible for the brainwashing and death of his brothers. He knew he would not win but that didn't mean the punch didn't feel good.

"Get out of here Commander!" He shouted as he grappled the Sith. If his opponent got any distance where he could use the force or his light-saber it would be over for Rex.

He brought the Sith to the ground and landed an elbow to the ribs which caused the Sith to grunt. Rex heard the sound of engines powering up. And smiled. He was roughly shoved off the Sith. Rex saw the Ahsoka's ship lifting off and leaving the hanger. He was still staring at it with a smile on his face knowing he and his men did something right with that one as his head was removed.

\---

On Obi Wan's ship.

He was looking at a data pad that showed the reports of every Jedi that had been off Coruscant being reported killed. More than 50% had been killed and the rest were wounded or MIA. Obi Wan could feel every death and each one felt worse than the last. So many of them were friends he had known for years if not his whole life.

The door behind him opened as Yoda walked in and sat down silently. "Late, we were." Yoda said sadly.

"This would have been much worse without any warning." Obi Wan tried to comfort the grandmaster. Even if it was empty.

"Where are we going?" Yoda asked. Obi Wan had kept the rendezvous location secret until needed.

"Yavin 4. Its a moon that has an abandoned temple and no other civilization there."

Yoda nodded sadly. "Any word from the Temple is there?"

Obi Wan Shook his head. "I couldn't make contact. But the beacon was activated."

"A trap the returning Jedi will meet." Yoda stated.

"No. The beacon had been altered." Obi Wan stated before playing the messaged that was being sent out.

Depa Billaba and her padawan appeared in a hologram. "The Clones are attacking the Temple and the Republic has turned against the Jedi. Do not return here. The Temple is being evacuated. Stay safe." The transmission cut out after that.

"She was always straight to the point." Obi Wan stated. He had already checked the force to try to sense her after receiving the message and couldn't.

The two were silent as they made their way to the moon knowing there would not be as many people there as they hoped.

\---

In the Chancellors office 

Anakin was slowly waking up. There was a man in a black cloak standing next to the Chancellor.

"Anakin my boy. I think we have a few things to talk about." Palpatine said in his patronizing voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry about the wait as I know this was an anticipated event in the story. I have been working 50 hours a week and had little time to write. I hope it was up to your expectations but I have always struggled more with writing action than anything else. If you have any recommendations or ideas let me know. I would like to hear how you feel about it.
> 
> Thank you for reading.


	21. Yavin

Asajj flew the ship out of the atmosphere and quickly jumped to lightspeed as they left Coruscant. They had close to 50 younglings and 10 apprentices on the ship besides the two bounty hunters. Ahsoka sat in the copilot’s seat not paying attention to anything going on around. She had her head in her hands as she quietly sobbed. She could still feel the lights going out through the force. Everyone single one of them were people that she had considered family. How many were slain at the hands of Vos, someone she had brought to the temple? How many were slain by Barriss, her supposed best friend? Rex, Luminara, Drallig, Jocasta Nu, all of the 501st, and who knew if they were able to find all of the younglings. 

She looked up suddenly as she felt a touch on her shoulder. Katooni had entered the cockpit with a scared look on her face. 

“Ahsoka, what are we going to do?” The scared apprentice asked. 

Ahsoka looked behind the girl to see all the scared children. The ones that had not seen anything like what had just happened. It really hit her that she was barely older than them and now she was the one that had to be strong and lead them. 

Ahsoka turned to see Asajj looking at her. She could feel her partner probing to see if she was alright. Asajj may have been surprised and disturbed by what happened but they were not her family. 

Ahsoka reassured her through the Force that she would be fine. Eventually. 

Ahsoka got up and walked to where all the children were waiting looking at her with such a wide variety of expressions. 

“I know this was a horrible shock. It was something the Jedi were worried about, but something we were not ready for yet.” Ahsoka sighed. “We are going to be regrouping at an old abandoned Jedi temple. All the Jedi that were off world will meet us there to decide what to do next.” Ahsoka finished. Some of the kids a little hope that there may be others left. 

“Why did we leave! We could have stayed and fought!” Yelled Caleb Dume.

“We needed to get out of there or we would have died with everyone else.” Ahsoka said sadly. 

“My master is dead because we left! I can’t feel her anymore! If we had stayed and helped, we could have saved them!” He yelled. 

“You are right. If we stayed there would have been more of us to fight and we would have stood more of a chance. But how many people in this ship would be dead. The knights and masters entrusted you to continue the fight. To continue without them. They gave their lives to protect yours. That is what a Jedi is. Now we need to regroup and figure out what to do next. Sit tight we will be there in a few hours.” Ahsoka explained patiently. She had to keep it together to be there and help the kids. 

She returned to the cockpit and let the tears flow. Asajj put her hand on Ahsoka’s thigh. “We did everything we could Soka.” 

“I know. It doesn’t make it any easier Saj.” 

\---

“What did you do?” Anakin sneered at the Chancellor. 

“I did what was necessary. The Jedi were in the way of peace. With them out of the way there will be a new Galactic Empire.” He stated smugly. 

“That is just you justifying wanting to be on top. You started the war in the first place by ordering Dooku around. I don’t even get why you did any of this. You were a much-loved politician. You were rising through the ranks and elected Chancellor. You already had the entire galaxy. What else did you need?” Anakin asked. He still didn’t understand the point of it all. 

“I would have been asked to step down. They would end my rule. I will reign supreme and answer to no one as the new Emperor.” Palpatine bragged with his arms open wide. 

“I will stop you.” Anakin said as he stood slowly raising from the ground prepared to fight. 

“No, you won’t.” Suddenly a screen in the office turned on and it showed Barriss holding a lightsaber to Padme who looked fearful. 

“You will do what you are told or your pregnant wife will be the one that suffers my boy.” The Chancellor told him confidently.   
Anakin just glared at him. 

\---

Asajj landed in the hanger of the old Jedi temple. When the exited the ship, Asajj and Ahsoka were greeted by Obi-Wan and Yoda. Both of them looked haggard. 

“Is this all that is left?” Obi-Wan asked as the apprentices led the younglings off the ship and into the temple. 

“The rest would have been killed or captured by now.” Ahsoka said sadly. “I don’t know if any others would have been able to escape.” 

“Tragic, this day has been.” Yoda stated. 

“How many survived.” Ahsoka asked. 

“15 masters and 20 knights are here so far.” Obi-Wan stated. “We intercepted reports of confirmed deaths and there are another 70 Jedi out there that are listed as MIA.” 

“What about troopers.” Asajj asked. 

“3 battalions. Wolffe’s, Cody’s, and Bly’s. What happened to the 501st?” Obi-Wan asked. 

Ahsoka just looked sad and shook her head. “They bought enough time for us to escape.” 

Ahsoka and Asajj followed Yoda and Obi-Wan through the temple where they saw the knights helping the kids get settled. They were led into a small room with the other 13 masters. 

“It is good to see you little Soka.” Plo Koon greeted as the entered. 

Ahsoka gave a small smile and a nod. They sat in the room. 

“What can you tell us of what happened at the temple?” Asked Mundi. 

“We were attacked while waiting on word from Windu. He and a few others went to confront the Chancellor. Several battalions of clones suddenly showed up at the temple with two Sith. It was Dooku and Vos.” Ahsoka explained sadly. 

“Vos?” Obi-Wan asked shocked. 

“He must have been turned while in captivity.” Asajj pointed out. 

“During the attack Master Luminara and Master Drallig mounted the defense with the 501st while we were told to get the younglings and escape. We did everything we could.” Ahsoka said sadly. 

“The only good news I can give is that I killed Dooku.” Asajj added when Ahsoka stopped. 

“But there may be more Sith. We saw a temple guard turn on Master Drallig when he was able to get the upper hand on Vos.” Ahsoka added. While Asajj nodded. 

“Grave, our situation is. A plan, we will need.” Yoda said. 

Suddenly a young Knight rushed into the room. “Masters! A transmission was sent out.” He took a breath “It was Palpatine and Skywalker together.” 

The room was entirely shocked into silence. How could Anakin do that. 

Play the video one of the other masters ordered. One of the screens turned on showing the Chancellor and Skywalker standing side by side. 

“Jedi. Turn yourselves in and your treachery will be rewarded with prison time instead of an execution. You may even join back with us to serve our Galactic Empire. The Separatists are defeated and the war is over. Your great hero has seen sense and joined us.” Palpatine spoke while gesturing to Skywalker next to him. 

Anakin glared at the screen hatefully. “If you turn yourselves in, we will make a place for the kids and spare them. If not, we will come for you. We will send Clones, warriors, and even bounty hunters like Cad Bane to take the children from your brainwashing.”   
“Make the right choice.” Palpatine finished. 

The screen cut off with silence. “Skywalker is a traitor and we are up against the Emperor and Vos, and who knows who else out there. What hope do we have!?” Yelled one of the other Masters. 

“No. He isn’t a traitor.” Ahsoka said. 

“What are you talking about!?” Yelled another master. “He was there on the screen with the Emperor. Stop being blinded by your master. Maybe you are working with him!” He said standing up and going for his lightsaber. Asajj jumped up ready to defend Ahsoka. 

A loud thud sounded through everyone in the room and everyone froze and looked at Yoda who had slammed his cane on the ground loudly. “Ahsoka, tell us what you are thinking.” He stated while everyone settled down. 

Ahsoka took a breath as she relaxed a little. “Cad Bane was killed over 6 months ago and Anakin knows this as I told him about the job when it happened.” Ahsoka explained. She looked around and caught Obi-Wan’s hopeful gaze nudging her to continue. “He referenced sending bounty hunters like Cad Bane after Jedi Younglings. This has happened already and was a mission we had worked on together as I am sure Master Yoda remembers.” Yoda nodded along remembering it. “I think Anakin was sending a message to me about something to do with that mission.” 

“Do you know what it is?” Asked Mundi. 

“Not yet. But whatever it is, it is forcing Anakin to side with Palpatine. The Chancellor must have something…… Oh Force.” Ahsoka trailed off. 

“What is it, Soka?” Asked Koon. 

Ahsoka looked up to Obi-Wan. “They have a big enough threat to make Anakin help them but everyone Anakin cares about is here except…” 

“Padme…” Obi-Wan caught on. 

“What are you talking about?” Secura asked. 

Forgive me master. Ahsoka says in her mind. “Anakin and Padme are involved.” She tells them. 

“You think that they have Senator Amidala captive to force Anakin to aid them?” Mundi asks. They didn't the luxury of being angry about Anakin breaking the no attachment rule. 

“Yes.” Ahsoka says. 

“But what does that have to do with the message of Cad Bane?” Secura asked. 

Ahsoka thinks about it for a minute until it comes to her. She jumps up out of her seat. “I got it!” 

“What is it?” Secura asks. 

“Just a second.” Ahsoka tries to meditate and reaches out to where she is thinking. She finds what she is looking for. She can feel Padme’s presence as well as a little surprise she didn’t expect to find attached to her. There was a recognizable dark presence with her as well. 

Ahsoka opens her eyes. “Cad Bane took force sensitive younglings to the planet of Mustafar for the Sith. I can feel the Senator as well as Barriss’s presence at the same base that the kids were taken.” 

“Hmm, dangerous this will be.” Yoda stats. 

“I can go to Mustafar and save the Senator.” Ahsoka stats. 

“We.” Asajj put in. 

“We will deal with Barriss and save the Senator. Then we will have Anakin on our side.” Ahsoka reiterates. 

“We will need to time the attack simultaneously.” Mundi points out. “If Amidala is rescued it could tip off the Chancellor. Our best chance is to stop him with Anakin turning on him as a surprise.”

“I will go with the group against the Chancellor.” Obi-Wan stated. 

“Be careful of Vos, you need to be. Stay and watch over the children I will.” Yoda stated. 

At the end of the meeting it was decided that Ahsoka and Asajj would be going to Mustafar to stop Barriss and save the senator and send word through the force to Anakin so he knows it is safe. Obi-Wan would lead masters Mundi, Secura, Koth, and Tiplee. 

The rest of the masters were to stay in case they were to lose. That way the masters would be there to train the knights, apprentices and younglings. 

They all left the hall after that with a plan set in motion and a small amount of hope that they would survive what is to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry about the long break between chapters. I will hopefully have enough free time to have another chapter done this week while I am on vacation from work. The story is coming to a close soon. There may be a sequel but I haven't decided since my other story Ahsoka's apprentice was very similar to what I was thinking for a sequel so it may be a bit of time after this story is finished before that comes about.   
Thank you for reading and leave a review about what you think or any ideas you may have. I always love to hear from you.


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